


Gods & Where to Find Them

by vvivid



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, BAMF Haruno Sakura, Crack Treated Seriously, Eventual Romance, F/M, Female Friendship, Haruno Sakura-centric, I have no self control, Inspired by InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Multi, Self-Discovery, Ships TBD - Freeform, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2020-08-23 17:49:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 52,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20246845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vvivid/pseuds/vvivid
Summary: Sakura didn't see herself as anything short of a hardworking med student. However, upon picking up an unusual book, Sakura finds her life beginning to twist and turn in ways she's not sure she can handle.OR:A modern day Sakura gets dropped off in a world packed with gods, monsters, and demons; she has no choice but to adapt or die, and it doesn't help that she seems to have caught the eyes of a certain power-hungry clan.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story was heavily influenced and inspired by Ghost Stories/Queenpin by ViiA01. I highly recommend you go and read their works!
> 
> Also, thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoyed it. I'm a girl who loves her multiships, and so expect a lot of that. Ultimately, though, it will be Uchiha/Sakura ships. I don't have set days for chapters, but I'll do my best; expect as time goes on, chapters will probably get shorter (I am lazy).

The smell of summer was in the air, mixed in with the heavy rain and thunderous shocks of the storm outside. The rain pounded against the building, filling the library with an oddly comforting noise; despite how the storm ravaged the lands outside, inside, it was undisturbed and serene. The sound of rain mixed well with the soft chatter, typing, and pencils scribbling. Sakura leaned back against the couch she rested on; her legs half tucked under her sitting frame. There were books, open notebooks, and a wide collection of colorful pens askew in front of her on the table. Her laptop sat idly next to her, with a half-written document in the process of being finished. She let out a soft sigh, closing her eyes for just a moment to listen some more. The white noise could almost lull her to sleep right then and there, if not for the obscene amount of caffeine she had consumed that day. For a med student, she really didn’t care of her body; what choice did she have, though? College demanded everything and more from her, and she barely had enough time between studying, homework, and shadowing to work out or go to her part-time job. 

Sakura rubbed her temples, face scrunching up as a headache suddenly washed over her. She could only sink lower into the couch, snatching up a book that she would absently flip through until her headache decided to, hopefully, leave. They had become a consistent ailment, no matter how much water, sleep, or caffeine Sakura pumped into her body; eventually, she just accepted she was cursed to always have some kind of problem with her. If she wasn’t stressed, it was a headache, and if she  _ was  _ stressed-- it was a stress headache. Sakura read through the chapter in front of her, despite knowing she could probably recite it all from memory if needed to. It was the curse of having such a good memory, but also the countless hours she poured into studying and research. She would be nothing but the best, knowing how much pressure she would be under; there was no excuse for failure. Being a doctor meant her room for error could be second to none, and it only encouraged her to throw herself farther into her studies. Things could go wrong, this she knew, and painfully understood. However, she would keep them to a minimum—lives would be in her hands.

Sakura closed the book with a huff, turning her head to look at the notes littered on the table. Although she was dedicated, she couldn’t help but feel a little burnt out. Maybe she needed more coffee, or some good food (for once). Despite her best efforts, her brain wasn’t cooperating, too distracted by the desire to rest. She shifted, pulling herself up, and letting her legs swing back to the solid floor. She quickly picked up her books and papers, neatly organizing them before sliding them back into her backpack. She unplugged her laptop, tossing that in the front of everything. Sakura took one last look at her paper, which was already half-finished, and bit her lip; that, too, was closed and set into her backpack. She would eat something, give her brain some time to rest, and then she would power through that damn essay. 

Sakura weaved through the different sections of the library quietly, eyeing each section curiously. Her steps slowed as passed the Fantasy-Fiction section, her eyes scanning the section with innate curiosity. It had been a while Sakura had read anything  _ for fun _ , as most of her reading involved complicated and wordy textbooks or peer-reviewed journals. The tips of her fingers tingled, eager to just open a book and start reading. She hummed to herself, and against her better judgment, entered the small section. She scanned each cover carefully, seeing many books she recognized. Although her head was deeply rooted in reality, living in the moment, despite how harsh and dreary it could be—Sakura had to admit she had a love for fiction. She loved being taken to a different world, one she knew nothing about; she loved learning, even if it was about something not real. Fiction gave her an escape when things were too heavy, too much, too sad-- 

A woman tapped her shoulder, pulling her from her thoughts and making her jump a bit. The woman gave an apologetic smile, tucking a strand of her short, ashy blonde hair behind her ear. Sakura returned with a sheepish smile. “Sorry,” the woman said, her voice barely above a whisper. Sakura knew she didn’t mean anything bad, but the pink haired girl couldn’t help but be immediately intimidated. This woman, a stranger, was strikingly gorgeous—perfect  complexion , rosy cheeks, and a warm smile. Her eyes were violent and unordinary and spoke gently but with an air of elegance and confidence. Sakura felt disheveled and sweaty by just looking at her. “No worries, I was just lost in thought,” Sakura finally answered, letting out a pleasant sigh, tucking on her own hair absently. “You looked curious for a good book, so I thought I could possibly recommend one of my favorites if you didn’t mind--” The woman said, her honey-colored eyes sparkling, contradicting her cool tone. Sakura glanced back at the books, her eyes giving them all a quick scan. She knew it would be best if she just politely declined, leaving without anything else—she didn’t exactly have time to read anything for fun unless fun meant her textbook. Still, despite her better judgment, Sakura nodded. “I’d love that.”

The woman smiled, grabbing Sakura’s hand gently, and guiding her to the end of the row. “Not many students come to this section, but it’s probably  ‘cause every one is always studying. But it’s nice to take a break from it all, don’t you think?” She asked, glancing back to Sakura. “It’s easy to get lost in textbooks,” Sakura agreed, her earlier thoughts nagging at her. The blonde released her hand, now focusing on the shelves in front of them; she rubbed her chin in thought, ‘ hming ’ loudly as she scanned each shelf carefully. “Ah!” She said suddenly, stretching high to grab a book from the top shelf. Sakura’s eyes followed her arm up, peeking curiously at the book she was grabbing for. The woman pulled it down easily, despite having to stand on the tips of her toes to reach it; she turned to Sakura, displaying the front of the book proudly. The cover wasn’t anything particularly interesting or unique, and yet, she struggled to tear her eyes from it. Sakura reached out  tentatively, and the woman handed it off to her with ease.

Sakura ran her fingers across the cover, a bit surprised to feel healthy leather. Although she couldn’t quite describe it, it almost felt as if there was something just underneath the leather; there were odd lines, but they were so faint she couldn’t tell if she was just imagining it. Curiously, she opened flipped the book open, seeing nothing but black on the other side of the cover. She almost frowned, but caught herself, and looked back at the woman. “Thanks, I’ll check it out.” The girl seemed to beam at words, nodding, “Please do let me know if you like it!” She said happily, clasping her hands together in joy. “It looks really interesting,” Sakura replied, her eyes wandering back down to the cover. Too be honest, she hadn’t even looked at the title, which now stared blatantly back at her:  _ The Uchiha: Gods In the Cloud _ _ .  _ Sakura hummed curiously, glancing up to see that the woman had already departed. Well, it was no matter. Sakura was quick to walk over to the library desk, checking out the book, and tucking it safely into her backpack.

Hours had passed, and only now did the storm finally seem to calm; still, it rained lightly, peppering her window with little drops. Eating had definitely satisfied her headache, and although she was exhausted, she also forced herself to do some light training. All in all, it had been a productive day, until—Sakura's laptop was on her desk, her incomplete essay glaring at her. She had her textbooks piled up against the wall behind her laptop, with her notebooks stacked neatly to the left of it, all open and ready to be used. She had gotten  _ maybe _ a page done before her brain tossed in the towel again. Sakura could only sigh, rubbing her temples. “Just write, damn it, it’s not hard,” she mumbled to herself, frustrated at this sudden wall. The topic wasn’t one she even struggled with, and yet...

Sakura rested her neck on her seat, glaring at the wall behind her. Laying against it was her backpack, empty of all of its contents, except for— she stood suddenly, making her way over to the bag, and crouched down. Inside, the book was resting carefully on the bottom, the title almost seemingly illuminated. She grabbed it out, running her hand over the cover automatically, unable to resist the urge to touch. Maybe taking a mental break would be good for her; the paper wasn’t due for another week anyway, and her brain seemed fried. She’d read a bit, head to bed early, and wake up refreshed tomorrow. Sakura made sure to power down her station, forcing her laptop closed, and turning off all the lights except for the lamp by her bed. She changed into her pajamas, which were actually just some navy shorts and an old t-shirt from her days of being a camp counselor. She crawled under her sheets, the warmth almost instantaneous, and she fought the urge to immediately pass out.

Sakura couldn’t stand silence, at least not when sleeping or relaxing. If not for the rain, she would’ve put on some audio of forest noises, or possibly even ASMR (something she would never admit she listened to). Feeling at ease, her back sinking into the propped-up pillow, Sakura opened the book and began to read. 

_ A storm raged overhead, the sky itself jet black, with dark purple clouds moving quickly against it; the only light to escape the darkness was the lightning, which only seemed to illuminate the disaster below. The wind was unforgiving, making even the strongest trees begin to shake and bend against it; the rain pounded down, threatening to flood the already brimming river, its waters already beginning to flow with anticipation. Despite the heavy rain, fire began to spread throughout the village- lightning had struct a small hut dead center of the village, and the eager flames quickly began to tear apart everything in its path. The screams of fleeing villagers were silent in comparison to the thunder and rage of the storm. They ran desperately, unsure of where to go, but most already knew their fate—they could only hope death would be swift and painless. _

_ By morning, the village would be nothing but ash. There was no movement, no sound, only smoke as it rose up to the heavens. The storm had passed, now just a pleasant drizzle sprinkling innocently. The nearby river had begun to spill over, but there was no  _ _ one  _ _ left to fret over it. _ _ No one to warn. Not a single soul was left at the village—not even a house was spared. In a few more days, the wind would blow away the ash and dust, and there would be no memory of the village or its inhabitants. Others would pretend to have never known about it, and move on with their lives, trying their best to keep their heads down. It was a threat; no, a promise. They knew that they would be next if they dared fight back. Even whispering spiked fear in their hearts, so they did what humans did best—move on. _

Sakura frowned. She hadn’t expected the book to be so... dark? It wasn’t gory at all, and she was thankful it wasn’t needlessly detailed, but nonetheless, something in the pit of her stomach knotted. Part of her wanted to put the book down and sleep, but most of her wanted to continue on. Maybe she should’ve just reread a book from her childhood or something. She shook her head, sitting up for a minute to quickly adjust her pillow before settling back down. She would give it a few pages in, and if she didn’t like it, she’d just return it tomorrow. No problem. She’d have to apologize to the one girl, who so enthusiastically shared it with her, but hopefully, she would understand. Sakura began to read again, letting her thoughts slip away as the book once again  captured her imagination.

The sun peeked through her curtains, warming up only a specific spot on her legs. Sakura grumbled, turning to her side, but sat up when she realized she had rolled on top of something. She mumbled something in her half-asleep state, yanking at the item beneath her, and lifting it to rest on her desk. She looked at the book through half-lidded eyes, the book still in perfect condition despite being slept on (and rolled over). Sakura let out a sigh, snuggling back under her blankets—she shot up suddenly, her hair wild, and her eyes large. She couldn’t remember a damn thing about the book. Sakura slapped her cheek lightly, trying her best to jog her memory. Despite the first bit of the book feeling a bit off, Sakura found herself enthralled while reading it. She couldn’t put it down, instead eating up every detail about it. She had passed out seconds after finishing it.  _ She remembered _ . However, anything about the story, excluding the first page, it was all gone. She couldn’t even remember a general plotline to the book.

This had never, ever happened to her. Sakura wasn’t one to freeze up and forget things—not even on the most stressful of tests. She was tired, sure, but she should’ve still remembered something. Sakura shook her head, turning to look at the book. Cautiously she grabbed it, bringing it to her lap where she stared at the leather cover. Yes, she clearly remembered that—that was all fine. She opened the book, expecting her memory to be refreshed after skimming the first few pages. However, there was nothing on the pages. Sakura blinked, her mouth dropping just a bit. She flipped through another few pages but saw nothing. She closed the book, pausing for only a second, before reopening it and staring down at more blank pages. 

Was she losing her mind? Had university finally bested her? Sakura rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end, and an unsettling feeling twisting in her gut. Just—what? She couldn’t understand why. There was no way she had just dreamed it all, right? But even if she didn’t actually read it, there should still be  _ words _ . Sakura glanced at the time, sighing; she still had another hour or so before class, and therefore not enough time to get ready and hunt down the woman from yesterday. In the end, Sakura tossed the book down on her bed, pretending like it never existed to begin with. She grabbed her pink toiletry carrying bag and tossed a towel over her shoulder, giving the book one last glare, before heading out.

Classes dragged on, more so than usual. She wasn’t tired, at least, but distracted. Sakura stared down at her notebook, lost in thought; on the bright side, Sakura had become a master of spacing out but still keeping track of notes in class. It was a fine art she had mastered back in high school since the classes did nothing to stimulate her, but she also couldn’t risk failing them. She would rewrite her mess later, taking her time to color code and actually review everything written. Sakura muffled a sigh, adjusting her seating so she was sitting more upright, doing her best to draw her mind from her wild imagination back to the present. There was no logical explanation for it all, and she didn’t believe in magic, ghosts, or anything like that. She raked her mind, figuring that it was all thanks to stress—she had read what had happened to other people who were under too much pressure, who constantly strained themselves, overworking them to death. Hallucinations could occur at the most extreme points. Although Sakura herself didn’t feel that worn down, she guessed most of the others didn’t either; she would just have to take it easy for a few days, let herself relax, and things would surely go back to normal. 

Sakura shuffled all of her belongings back into her backpack, her gaze blank as she prepped herself for her next class. Just a few more hours to go, then she could see if maybe the woman was back in the library—a soft hand on her shoulder startled her, and she whipped her head up to see who had entered her personal space. She relaxed upon seeing her teacher, who sported a small, but nervous smile. “I hope you don’t mind, but... I just wanted to check in with you,” He said, his hand removing itself from her shoulder. Sakura stood, slinging her backpack over her shoulders, and gave him a small nod. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so, uh... out of it,” she tried to laugh it off, running a hand through her hair. “It’s quite alright. That’s most kids I meet, anyways. But that’s kind of why I wanted to check in with you—from when we met, I don’t think I’ve ever really seen you be so spacey,” he laughed lightly, and Sakura could only smile back. “To be honest, I think I was just overworking myself.”

“You? I would never have guessed.”

Sakura rolled her eyes, but her smile only grew. “Big shocker, I know,” she continued, rolling her shoulders. God, her backpack was heavy. “Well, please do take it easy. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. I’d hate to see you burn yourself out,” he said, patting her shoulder in a weird, but oddly comforting move. “I’ll let you know,” she returned, quickly making an exit. Truth be told, she  _ did _ feel bad. Sakura enjoyed school, enjoyed her classes, studying and working hard; it didn’t sit well with her that her brain suddenly couldn’t focus on one thing for more  than ten minutes. She just wanted to shake it off, and go back to normal. At the same time, though, she knew something wasn’t quite right. 

Classes went by as smoothly as they could, Sakura doing her best to at least pretend she was all there in class. No one else said anything to her, which she was grateful for, as explaining the same thing over and over would get annoying and tedious. Sakura made a b-line for the library, quickly tossing her items into her backpack as soon as the clock hit two-thirty. She just... she wanted to see the woman again. To ask her. Maybe do a little bit of information digging. She didn’t think it would do anything, and quite honestly, Sakura had no idea what she was going to ask the woman anyways. ‘ _ Hey, that book you gave me, did you wake up and not remember a single detail, oh and also, the book was blank inside? _ ’ Sakura shook her head, dismissing the rude tone. It was right, though. She really didn’t know why she wanted to approach the woman again, but something in her gut told her it was the only way to get answers.

The library was peaceful, with only a handful of students, all of which were spread out. Sakura knew they would be getting flooded soon, once the rest of the classes got dismissed between three and four. She hoped the woman would be here before that all. Sakura headed to the couch tucked into the corner against the wall, the spot she had been yesterday, and tossed her heavy backpack onto it. Her shoulders ached just from carrying everything, and she began to rub them absently, beginning to walk the same route she had the previous day. Sakura took her time, eyeing most of the covers she passed. The names of each one got tucked into some obsolete folder in her brain, most likely to be discarded in a few days. She rounded the corner, entering the historical nonfiction section. Without thinking, Sakura began to run her fingers across the spines of the book, humming to herself. She came here for a reason, she knew, but as she walked through the walls of books, she couldn’t help but feel a bit more at peace. As dumb as it sounded, the library had always been her sanctuary. Whenever she needed an escape, she would flee here,  burying herself into books and her study.

She stopped suddenly, her fingers pressing into a familiar feeling book. Sakura stared at the spine, rereading the title over and over again:  _ Uchiha V.S. Senju: A Comprehensive Guide to The War Between Gods.  _ Sakura swallowed, and against her better judgment, pulled the book from the shelf to inspect the cover. Just like the book from earlier, the leather cover was almost identical; even as Sakura ran her fingers over it, there was even the familiar feeling of something engraved beneath the cover. She frowned, opening the book. To her relief, there were actually words inside; she skimmed quickly, noting that this did actually read as a historical recounting, despite its unusual cover. She hummed, closing the book and tucking it underneath her arm. She exited the section, almost running dead into the woman from yesterday.

The woman beamed at her, a smile spreading across her face. “Oh! It’s you again!” She said, quickly shuffling some book around to make it easier for her to carry. “I didn’t think you’d be back so soon. Did you start reading the book already?” She asked, glancing up from her stack of books. Sakura felt her stomach twist, but she smiled back. “Yeah, it was pretty good. Actually, I finished it already--” she half-laughed, trying to hide her anxiety. The woman nodded knowingly. “I just knew you’d enjoy it,” she began to walk away, “Would you like to come sit with me for a bit? These books are killing me.” Sakura blinked, but quickly agreed; she even offered to help carry some of the books but was quickly dismissed. “I’m not as weak as I may look,” she giggled, guiding Sakura through the  aisles . 

“I’m Chino, by the way. I realized I had never introduced myself--” She said, placing her books carefully on a table. “I just got so excited when I saw someone actually checking out the section--” She started, giving Sakura a sheepish smile. The two sat next to each other, Sakura holding onto the two books in her lap for dear life. Chino grabbed a book off the top of the pile, flipping through it until settling on a chapter with a short nod. “What are you studying for?” Sakura asked, trying her best to relax. Chino shot her an antsy smile. “Psychology,” she said, half laughing. “I know that’s like, what every girl wants to do. But I just find it so interesting,  ya ’ know? I love learning about the mind.” Chino said, tapping her temple with an ever-growing grin. Sakura nodded. “Although a lot of people want to go into psychology, there’s still seems to be a shortage of good ones around,” Sakura said, watching Chino as she skimmed through the chapter; she wasn’t looking at Sakura anymore, but her smile grew at her words. Sakura wondered if the girl ever stopped smiling. “Thanks,” Chino whispered, her finger tracing a sentence.

The two girls sat in silence for a while, Sakura allowing Chino to throw herself into the book. She stared back down at the two books, studying each other carefully. Sakura grabbed the original fantasy  fiction , and with a hard swallow, opening up the book to a random page. To her surprise, paragraphs met her stare, and it took everything in her power to not chuck the book somewhere else and run away. Sakura closed the book, sighed, and reopened it—it was still there. Chino glanced back at her, and then down at the book. “Oh, I love that part!” She squealed, pointing her finger at one of the passages. Sakura nodded, pretending to remember it. “I really am happy you liked the book, Sakura,” Chino said, beaming up at Sakura in a way that made her feel guilty. She couldn’t even remember the book. “Thank you for recommending it,” She whispered back, her eyes locking onto the spot Chino pointed out.

_ Blood red eyes stared back at the shaking villager, three unusual dots swirling around the pupil; the man stood tall and proud above the mortal, but unmoving. The eyes began to shift, the dots shifting and morphing until a six-pointed red star, lines now encasing the pupils, the edges as black as the abyss. The man shifted slightly, drawing out a long, elegant sword from his left hip. “Did you think you could deceive me?” The man asked, voice smooth and smoky, but with an undertone of annoyance. The villager shrunk back more, shaking his head vehemently. “N-No, I would never--” he stuttered out, but a sword pointed at his neck made his mouth shut tight. He fell silent, staring at the Uchiha ahead of him. “I’ll strike down anyone who dares cross my family.” The Uchiha said matter-of-factly, his sword swinging easily and slicing at the man’s throat. The villager fell to his side, eyes wide as he gripped helplessly at his neck; he tried to call out, but nothing came. He closed his eyes, accepting his fate. _

Sakura closed the book, staring at the cover for a long moment before glancing back at Chino, who was mumbling something under her breath as she read diligently. Something unsettled her, but she didn’t want to say anything—it was just a book, she told herself. The image was so vivid in her head, she felt as if she had been at the scene with them; she realized she was shaking, her breath unsteady, sweat beginning to form at her forehead. Sakura looked away, calming her nerves through practiced breathing. She was happy that Chino was deep into her book; the girl didn’t even seem to notice Sakura’s disgruntled state. Sakura hated this book. She stood up abruptly, drawing Chino’s attention curiously. “Sorry to leave so suddenly, but I’m starving, think I’m  gonna go get some lunch,” Sakura said quickly, giving a quick wave to Chino, who returned it happily. “No worries, see you later!” Chino called after her, flashing one last large grin before delving back into her book. Sakura skittered back over to her usual spot, slinging her backpack back on before heading to the exit; she made sure to stop at the library desk before she left, handing the two books back to the attendant. 

Giving the book back gave Sakura almost instant relief as if an invisible weight had been lifted off her shoulders—although the real weight of her backpack was probably just as bad. Her stomach rumbled as she walked the hallways, and Sakura couldn’t help but sigh. She hadn’t eaten yet, and knew she put it off any longer, a headache would make an appearance; not to mention, she’d be  pissy and just generally in a bad mood, and  _ no one _ wanted that. Sakura headed down to the cafeteria, settling down at a table by a large window. Sakura glanced out, smiling at the well-kept garden just outside. She ordered a simple chicken salad, grabbing a few varieties of granola bars, apples, and a banana; although extremely overpriced, and probably not the best food ever, it counted as her grocery shopping for the next few days. Sakura sat back at the table, pulling her laptop out and letting it power on while she munched away. She rolled her neck, pushing the now empty plate away from her—she almost debated going and getting a second meal but decided not to. Sakura stared at the essay that had been haunting her for the past few days, and with a sudden burst of energy, began to type. 

After two and a half hours, minus the small break in the middle to order another meal, Sakura had finished her essay with a triumphant smile. She closed her laptop, setting it down into her backpack. Before she left, she made sure to drop off her plates, and headed back to her dorm. She’d drop off her backpack and maybe go for a run—she felt suddenly invigorated, a feeling she hadn’t felt in a few weeks. She could actually do things and not feel absolutely drained. The night went by quickly, Sakura going for an hour-long jog, coming back to her room to shower, working on a few more assignments before passing out around ten. Sakura had been out like a light, unmoving in her deep sleep.

An unusual knocking woke her, and she shifted underneath her cozy blankets, contemplating answering it. She wondered if she waited long enough, if maybe the person would ultimately just leave; however, after another five minutes and insistent knocking, Sakura sat up, grumbling. She glanced at her clock, frowning when she saw eight-thirty glaring back at her. Today was supposed to be her short day for classes, as she didn’t have to go in until about eleven. It was nice being able to sleep in, but apparently people had other plans for her. Sakura tossed off her covers, stomping over to the door. She swung the door open, ready to give sass to whoever had awoken her, but saw no one on the other day. She blinked, peering out into the hallway—it was dead silent, not a soul in sight. Sakura huffed, closing the door. She knew if she just waited long enough, they’d leave! Now, she was up and moving, and knew there would be no hope in her trying to go back to sleep. Sakura spun on her heels, trudging back to her bed, but something on her desk drew her eye.

Sakura stood eerily still, staring at the book that was lying next to her closed laptop. It looked right at home, as if that was always where it was. She swallowed something hard in her throat, and willed herself to walk towards it, despite her anxiety setting alarms in her brain. She gingerly picked up the book, confirming it was the fantasy book she had returned the day before. Sakura held her breath, the book unusually heavy in her hands; her hands were shaking, but her eyes held a serious, unmoving stare. She opened the book, a sharp gasp escaping her as she stared at the empty book. She slammed it shut, tossing the book to the side quickly, feeling like it was beginning to burn her hands. 

She stood silently by her desk, leaning against her chair to support her wobbly legs. Sakura had always prided herself on being able to stay levelheaded, almost the calm one under pressure. As a young adult, she was constantly anxious and unsure, but she worked hard to build up her confidence, as well as working on her overabundance of fears. She knew how to spot her triggers, and knew when her anxiety was beginning to bubble up. She blinked away tears, refusing to let them fall. If they did, it just confirmed this was all happening, and she just couldn’t accept that. If she let this get to her, she had no hope of becoming a great doctor—doctors had to be reliable, ready to take anything thrown at them. Sakura knelt down, her knees resting on the fluffy carpet. She did her best to calm herself, taking deep breathes, and counting back from a hundred slowly. She just had to pull herself back into reality—there had to be an explanation for it all. Something that would make sense, something rooted in normality.

Sakura pulled herself back together, shaking her head. She grabbed the book that lay on the floor a few feet away from her, setting it confidentially down on her desk. She’d simply just try and return the book again. Maybe she only handed one book back, and just shuffled the other one back away when she was at lunch. It was fine. It would all work out okay. Sakura tossed her satchel over her shoulder, opting to leave her backpack for the moment; it was a short walk to the library, and Sakura knew she still had plenty of time to come back and get ready for the day. She walked quickly across the campus, dodging passing students with ease, although most were quick to step out of her way before it even came to it. They could tell Sakura had  business to attend to, and didn’t want to accidentally get caught in her wrath. 

The attendant at the desk smiled at her as she approached, Sakura returning it automatically. “Need help with anything?” The woman asked, tilting her head curiously. “Actually, I just wanted to make sure I returned my books yesterday--” Sakura started, getting ready to set the book in her hand on the table. The attendant nodded quickly. “Oh, yep! You had the two books, right?” She asked, typing something into her computer. Sakura forced her smile to stay, even though she could feel the edges of her lips twitching down. Her grip on the book tightened. “Hm... Oh, yep—yep, here it is! You returned two books yesterday around four p.m. Did you want to recheck them out?” The woman asked, turning back to Sakura. Her stomach turned, by she pretended she didn’t feel it. “Oh, no, that’s okay. Thanks,” Sakura said, waving goodbye as she made a b-line to the fantasy fiction section. 

Sakura walked quickly to the end, remember exactly where Chino had grabbed the book from originally. She stared up at the spot, seeing it empty. Sakura wordlessly slipped the book back into its spot from a few days ago, and promptly left. Again, it felt like a weight had been lifted off her, and she nearly sprinted back to her room, an unexpected rush of energy filling her body. Although it was a rough, weird morning, the memories were already being tucked somewhere in the back of her head—she hummed happily to herself, getting herself ready for the day. Classes flew by, much to her relief. Even the shift at the hospital seemed breezy and relaxed, despite its busy nature. Besides the morning, there was honestly nothing that really stood out to Sakura, but that was fine with her. A normal day, back on normal routine—excluding the hiccup in the morning—was all she had wanted. The pink haired med student blinked slowly, her computer screen beginning to blur. She rubbed her eyes quietly, pausing only to let out a large yawn. Sakura glanced at the clock, surprised to feel so tired when it wasn’t even eleven yet. She shrugged it off, deciding it was best to not fight her tiredness anymore. She shut her laptop, crawling into bed. Within a few minutes, she was falling into a deep sleep.

Sakura awoke to find herself knee-deep in mud, surrounded by a heavy fog that weighed down on her shoulders, and unable to see even a foot in front of her. She attempted to move forward, her legs begrudgingly giving in, but struggled to clear any sort of distance. She squinted, trying to see  _ anything _ , but was only met with white. Sakura opened her mouth to yell out, but nothing came out; it was when she realized she couldn’t hear anything at all. It was dead silent, even when she sloshed around in the mud, even her thoughts made no noise. She could only move forward, pouring all of the energy into her legs, begging them to move forward. 

Sakura walked for what felt like hours. Her body was numb, but more so, her legs felt almost disconnected from her body. She tried to call out again, something she had attempted over the past few hours, but it was still dead silent. She was just... so exhausted, so tired of walking, so tired of the silence, and yet she willed herself forward. When would it end? She thought about just giving up, letting her knees buckle and collapsing into the mud, but something told that if she did, that would be it—she would never escape, never wake up, never hear again;  so, she trudged on, forcing herself forward.

After hours, days even, Sakura found herself back in reality. Her body was sore, and she felt like she hadn’t slept at all. She attempted to sit up, but after a few minutes, gave up. She knew it was a dream, at least now that she was awake, and yet she couldn’t shake the reality of it all. It was such a bizarre, clearly fake, and yet completely real experience. She closed her eyes, the light shining brightly into her room, keeping her from going back to sleep. Honestly, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to even try and sleep again. What if she got stuck in another nightmare? God, she just couldn’t do it again. It had been in her mind, she knew, but her body was feeling the real-life side effects of it. She forced her eyes open, turning on her side to glance at the time, and instead came face to face with the book she had tried to get rid of twice now.

Sakura shot up, her body getting a random burst of energy at the sight of the book. She snatched it up quickly, fury in her eyes, and ripped it open. The pages were empty, but that isn’t what bothered her this time—the paper on the inside looked unusual, much thicker than normal paper, and it looked more dated, the edges of the paper dark from old age. Sakura sucked in air, flipping the pages delicately. She closed the book, setting it down on her desk. She stared at it for a long moment, glancing back down at her hands, clenching them into fists. “Fuck.” She said simply, standing up, and grabbing the book from her desk once again. She didn’t care. She was over it. Why wouldn’t this book leave her the  _ fuck _ alone? She exited her room, book tucked securely under her arm as she briskly walked down the halls, the stairs, and across the campus. Damn this book. It was upsetting the balance of her world—something she couldn’t risk. School demanded everything from her, and ever since this book had come into her life, things had gone downhill. Who cares if she sounded crazy? Sakura stopped by a large fountain, tossing the book into it, watching as it settled at the bottom with some tossed coins. Satisfied, she turned and walked back to her room.

Sakura wordlessly got ready for classes; dark circles unhidden, arms limp, and legs sluggish. She went to class, scribbling notes nonstop, throwing herself deep into the lectures. She wrote down  everything her professors said, word for word, making sure to cross her t’s and dot her I’s. She blocked out all other distractions, thoughts, and everything else in between. Sakura was fed up with everything, and just wanted things to go back to normal. She felt weird not focusing on her studies, and although a break had sounded nice before, she realized it just wasn’t what she wanted. Maybe if she had actually gotten to take a break, instead of having to deal with a weird book. After her classes finished for the day, Sakura found herself entering the library, heading towards the spot she had been with Chino. Unsurprisingly, the woman was sitting crisscross on the couch, nose deep in some book.

Chino must’ve sensed her approaching, glancing up from her book and waving enthusiastically and smiling wide. Sakura gave a half smile, taking a seat next to the girl. “You look rough,” Chino started, hiding her giggle behind her hand. She sure was blunt, Sakura mused inwardly, but Sakura just let out a soft sigh. “Yeah, I didn’t sleep too well last night,” she said with a shrug, leaning back into the comfy couch. Chino patted her shoulder warmly. “Sorry to hear that. What kept you up?” Sakura hummed to herself, wondering if she should be honest with the girl. “Nightmares,” Sakura answered vaguely, leaning forward to pull out some of her notebooks to reread. “ Oooh ,” Chino sang, her voice clearly curious. Sakura glanced her way, seeing her eyebrows raise and wiggle with anticipation. Sakura wasn’t quite sure how exactly these two had become friends, especially since they really didn’t know each other, and had only met a few times in the library. Chino was also the one who recommend that damn book to her. Nonetheless, Sakura would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy the company.

“There’s a lot of reasons for nightmares and dreams,  ya ’ know?” Chino started, turning her eyes back towards her own back. “It can be a manifestation of anxiety or fears, and stuff like that. But dreams can also be your brain trying to process information from the past few days,” Chino continued, smiling absently. Sakura stared at her own notebook, pretending to read. It was all stuff she knew already; dreams and nightmares were covered in most Psych 101 classes, and yet, hearing Chino mention it made her revisit the idea. Maybe her stress really was pent up? But the book... there was no reason for it. No explanation. She genuinely couldn’t figure out what was happening with  it. “Maybe,” was all Sakura could say in response, a soft sigh following it. Whatever. The two girls sat and studied by each other, making casual conversation here and there. It was kind of nice to have someone Sakura could just sit and hang out with, not feeling weird. She had friends, sure, but most of them were busy with their own classes and jobs. It was nice to make some new friends for once. 

Around eight p.m., Sakura decided to test her luck with sleeping; Chino and she left the library together but parted ways once they neared her dorm. The blonde wished her luck in her dreams, offering her some meditation advice that would maybe put Sakura’s head in a good place, encouraging more pleasant dreams. She wanted to try it, but to be quite honest, Sakura felt like she was about to pass out at any moment. She hadn’t slept a wink last night, been up early, and was generally just fed with everything now. Sakura set her backpack against her bed, changing into something more comfortable, and sitting down on her bed. She tried to set herself up for success, closing her eyes and resting her hands—palm up—against her crossed legs. She took deep breaths, doing her best to clear her mind and center herself. When she felt comfortable enough, Sakura broke her stance, succumbing to the comfort of her blanket.

It was cold and damp, and Sakura struggled to breath—there was no fog, but the air was thick and hard to swallow. She could tell she was laying on the ground, the earthy smell weirdly comforting. Sakura opened her eyes, her lids heavy and unwanting. Sakura forced herself up, rolling onto her stomach and using her upper arm strength to push herself onto her knees. It took so, so much energy out of her; all she did was get onto her knees, and now she felt like she was about to pass back out. Maybe she wasn’t getting enough oxygen? Sakura tried to take slow, deep breaths but struggled to get any air into her lungs. The sound of thunder shook the ground, making Sakura’s head snap up and look around wildly. Not too long after, lightning struck a nearby tree, flames bursting from its aged wood. Sakura scurried away from the scene the best she could but didn’t get far. She glanced back, watching the fire eat up every inch of the tree greedily. Even with her distance, Sakura could feel the heat hitting her body. Something gnawed at her, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it until it happened again.

Thunder, followed by a decisive lightning strike.  _ Ah _ , she thought, slightly bemused. It should’ve been opposite—lightning followed by thunder. For some reason, wherever she was, the weather patterns were  oppugnant to reality. An overwhelming presence drew her attention from the flames, and Sakura found herself staring at a shadowy figure approaching her. She squinted, trying to make out the person, but failed; it almost like they were purposely cloaking themselves from her view. “Who are you?” She called out, biting her lip nervously. “Silence.” The voice commanded, harsh and vindictive. Sakura flinched back at his words, but oddly, she recognized it. But from where...?

Only once the figure was directly in front of her was Sakura able to clearly him, and as soon as she did, she couldn’t resist the incoherent swears bursting in her head. Without a doubt, this was the man from the passage she had read early. Sakura wished she could glare at him, or turn her nose up, or do anything besides stare back with wide eyes. “Who do you think you are, to betray us?” The man spat, eyes washing from a black to a shocking red, blood trailing down his cheeks. Sakura shook in her spot, opening her mouth as she gaped at him. What was she supposed to say? “I... I haven’t done anything!” She managed out, but cursed at herself inwardly. She sounded so pathetic, so afraid! She was, obviously, but she didn’t want him to  _ know _ . She hated being intimidated. “Liar.” He  hissed, a sword being pulled from his hilt. “Confess and die with honor,” he followed up, pointing his sword at her throat. She wanted to swallow, but the tip pressed so dangerously close to her throat, she feared it would pierce it. 

Sakura didn’t know what to say, what to do to get out of this mess. When Sakura didn’t respond, the man narrowed his red eyes, and Sakura could see the shape shifting like how it was described in the passage. “I’ll strike down anyone who dares cross my family.” He said matter-of-factly, which Sakura almost wanted to mock. It was word for word, exactly like the book. But if this was all falling from the book, that meant—Sakura's thoughts were cut short as metal pierced her skin, his sword slicing her throat open. Her hands shot up to her neck, her body hitting the ground hard. Although Sakura knew she would be dead any second, it felt like hours; the sound of her gurgling, choking on her blood, staring up at the clear sky would be the last thing she’d get to experience in this world.

Sakura awoke in a cold sweat, sheets torn off from her, and shirt sticking uncomfortably to every inch of skin it could. She nearly threw herself off her bed and onto the carpet, coughing onto the floor as tears streamed down her cheeks. It was just a nightmare she told herself;  _ just a nightmare _ . Why, then, did it feel so real? Sakura brought a shaky hand to her throat, still feeling the warmth of her own blood mixing with the cold steel of the sword. Sakura rolled onto her back, steadying her breathing the best she could.  _ Just relax, _ she told herself, almost demanding. She laid out flat on her carpet, but every time she closed her eyes, images of her killer appeared instead; his blood red eyes staring back at her, no remorse or compassion. Eyes of a monster.

After what felt like an eternity, but was actually just an hour, Sakura had calmed herself (or, rather, became numb to it all) enough to stand. She ran a hand through her hair, her eyes falling towards her desk. She wanted to say she was shocked, or didn’t see it coming, but in truth she expected it; the book lay contently on her desk, the spot it had appeared every other time as well. She gritted her teeth, but didn’t take a step forward. She was scared, annoyed, pissed off, everything. Sakura took slow steps to her desk, stopping to look down at the book with a glazed overlook. The cover was different, the original dark brown leather now almost black,  an usual gold pattern stitched across it; the original title was absent, leaving a two-section fan instead. Sakura ran her fingers across the cover, captivated by its change. She hated how much it lured her in, how she wanted to stand there and run her fingers across it forever. 

Sakura pulled herself back, turning her back to the book, and buried her face in her hands. She could only cry now, her emotions so pent up she wanted to burst. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. She wanted to escape whatever pit of hell she had accidentally stumbled into. She had worked so hard to get herself to this point, building up her confidence and pouring her heart and soul into her studies. She wiped her tears, shaking her head; she always had a dramatic side to her. “Damn it, Sakura. Get your shit together,” she said, slapping her cheeks a few times. She was going to put an end to this tonight. Sakura didn’t bother to look at the clock; she could tell by the light that it was already creeping up towards noon. She had no energy to go to class, to try and pretend she was paying attention. Sakura left her room to go shower, sick of feeling sweaty and sticky.

The library was quiet, but she wasn’t surprised. It was nearing ten p.m., and most people had retired back to their dorms by now. Sakura was grateful for the twenty-four seven library hours; there were many times Sakura would wonder in late at night, curling up on the couch in the back, reading until her eyes would numb and blur. Sakura pressed the book tightly to her chest, walking with misplaced determination. She rounded an aisle, not shocked to see Chino laying against the couch, scrolling through her phone. The girl seemed distracted, and for once didn’t bother to look up at Sakura until she was only a few feet away. “Oh, sorry! I didn’t hear you walk up,” Chino said, sitting up and patting a spot next to her. Sakura smiled, accepting her invitation, and taking a seat next to her. “Can I ask you a question?” Sakura asked, her thumb running across the cover. Chino tilted her head, watching the girl in front of her. “Of course.” 

“What did you like so much about the book?”

Chino hummed, leaning her back against the arm of the couch. “It’s hard to say. It was really well written, and I just enjoyed the world building a lot. When I read it, it felt like I was being taken to a different world--” Chino looked back at Sakura, who gave her an expecting look. Chino sighed, shrugging her shoulders. It seemed Sakura wasn’t going to let her off the hook so easily. “Don’t you find human mythology so boring? Like, I mean, I really liked it at first. I thought it was interesting that there were different gods with specific things. I thought it made them special. But, like, I realized it did the opposite. It made them predictable. A God of water, for example, would only ever be that. They couldn’t grow, felt generic, and just didn’t appease me much. But in that book, with how they described their gods, their monsters, their characters... Idunno. It was just so captivating,” Chino said, scratching her cheek sheepishly. There was a pause between the two, but Sakura was the first to break the ice. “That makes sense. I can totally see that,” Sakura said with a light laugh, smiling at her friend. “Sorry for coming at you so suddenly.”

Chino shook her head, giggling. “No, no, you’re fine!” She reassured the girl, patting her back. “I’ve been thinking about the book a lot,  ya know? It really was a good book,” Sakura hummed, standing up. “I’ll catch you later,” Sakura said, waving her goodbye. Chino beamed back, saying her goodbyes as Sakura left. Sakura exited the library quickly, but didn’t take the normal route back to her dorm—no, she had something to do. The campus felt dead, any kind of party being held off campus for obvious reasons. Whoever was left tonight was either asleep or diligently studying. Sakura hummed, walking off campus, strolling casually down the road. She made a quick stop at gas station, buying just a small container of lighter fluid and some matches. 

Sakura wandered for another hour or so, enjoying the peaceful night. It was warm outside, but with a cool breeze that evened it out well. She had forced herself to become a morning person, but in truth, she always did better at night. Studying, working out, literally anything was easier at night for her. Unfortunately, that wasn’t how the world worked, and Sakura had no choice but to adjust to everyone else’s preference. She let out a soft sigh, eyeing a nearby bench. The path she was on was deserted, and she hadn’t seen a soul since the gas station an hour ago, but it was exactly what she needed. Part of her did feel bad for what she was going to do, but most of her felt ready to rid whatever the hell this book was from her life. Certainly, it couldn’t survive fire? Sakura set the book down gingerly on the stone path, sprinkling just a few drops of lighter fluid on it. She knelt down, staring at the distorted cover, before lighting a match and setting it aflame. Sakura sat by the book, watching as its corners curled up, and the pages inside began to crumble and turn to ash. She added only a bit more of the fluid, wanting to make sure that there would be no trace of it behind. The flames reminded her back to her dream from barely a day ago, and instinctively Sakura raised a hand up to her neck. A thought passed her mind as she stared into the flames.  _ Human mythology _ ?

Sakura sat there until the flames died out, leaving nothing but a crumpled mess in front of her. The sun was beginning to rise, but hadn’t yet peaked out from beneath the trees. She wouldn’t say she was tired, but rather,  debilitated. She turned on her heel, letting the steady wind pick up the pieces off her mess. She wanted to go to her dorm, take a shower, and curl up under her sheets. She deserved a good night's rest, and for once, she felt like she could possibly get it. By the time Sakura made it back to her dorm, the campus was alive and well again—completely opposite of the previous night. Sakura was happy to see her door, and at the moment, it was the only thing standing in the way of her and her bed. She hurriedly opened it, smiling wide as she entered her room. Sakura considered taking a shower, but her feet ached and her body pleaded with her to rest. 

Her heart was beating in her throat, and Sakura couldn’t contain the tears spilling down her cheeks. The book was in pristine condition, laying on top of her covers, looking like it had never moved. She blinked slowly, the world around her spinning. Was she truly stuck with this book forever? She had done everything she could think of to get rid of it. If fire didn’t make it stay away, then what? Sakura clenched her fists, storming over to the book, glaring daggers at it. “Fine!” She yelled, snatching it off her bed. “You want me to read you? Fine, I will! Over and over! I’ll burn every god damn word into my brain forever!” She hissing, kicking her shoes off and sitting on the flood beside her bed. She opened the book, pleased to see it back in its original state, words and all. She huffed, starting from the beginning, reading as quickly as she could out of spite. 

Sakura wasn’t sure how long she had sat there reading. She must’ve read the book hundreds and hundreds of times over; as soon as she would finish, she would flip to the front and start again. When she closed her eyes, the papers and words still lingered, blurring together in her memory. She would admit that it was, indeed, a well-written book. The general plot involved two main god-like clans, the Uchiha and Senju. It talked about how the two had fought against each other for centuries, but neither were able to come out on top. The Uchiha were cold, calculating, and born from war; the Senju were kinder, but deceitful. The two clans craved an ideal world, but disagreed on what that all entailed—in the end, their battle would end in a stalemate, only those beneath them perishing. It was bittersweet, but Sakura kind of liked it. Although there were lots of talks of monsters, gods, and demons, it felt like there was some base in reality. In the end, the gods learned no lesson, suffered no great loss, while the humans were forced to deal with the  devastation of their efforts. 

Sakura’s legs were insensate, her stomach empty and growling for food, and in general she just felt gross from sitting around all day. She willed herself up, wobbling towards the shower, forcing herself to get up and do something productive. She should probably email her professors too, and apologize for skipping classes for two days—she was sure they were worried, and if not, probably annoyed Sakura had decided to ditch classes for no reason. After her shower, which she spent extra time in, she dressed in some simple black leggings, a loose white t-shirt and her favorite jacket. In the end, Sakura felt no closure, didn’t feel like she had hit some great finale like she had hoped. There was still one thing that was bothering her, though, and only one person could answer it. Chino. Sakura tossed her smaller backpack on, tossing the book from her bed inside of it. There was only one place Chino could be.

As fast as it had come, the campus was eerily silent again;  tonight felt different, though. There was something in the air, something that didn’t quite sit right with Sakura. Nonetheless, she walked on, heading towards the library with a straight face. Chino had slipped up, and Sakura had caught it. A week ago, Sakura would’ve easily dismissed it, assuming it was just Chino being an eccentric person. But her hellish week, Sakura realized that there was something underneath it all; she had been to the library countless of times before and had never once seen Chino there. It was as if out of blue Chino began to appear, and when she did, she couldn’t be asked to leave. Sakura didn’t see her on campus, wandering the halls, getting food—she was always at the library. She was sick of being in the dark, sick of not understanding what was happening, and her instincts told her Chino would hold these answers. 

The door to the library was locked, making Sakura’s frown deepen. This wasn’t right—the library rarely ever locked their doors. Sakura tried to give it a solid shake, but the doors didn’t budge. She considered leaving, trying tomorrow, but everything inside of her screamed that she needed to get inside. Sakura took a step back, eyeing up the door. God, she was going to get in  _ so much _ trouble. She lifted her leg, and in a swift movement, kicked the door open. Sakura was grateful that the glass didn’t break, and that the lock had rusted to the point where she  _ could  _ kick the door open. Sakura peered inside, glancing cautiously around each aisle, half expecting a ghoul to jump towards her. “Chino?” Sakura called out, trying to sound friendly. “I just had another question about the book, if you don’t mind,” she called out again, heading towards her usual spot. 

It was almost strange seeing the spot empty. Was Chino truly not here? Sakura walked up to the couch, eyes wandering. She stood for a few minutes, listening intently to the quiet. After a few minutes of silence, Sakura felt her cheeks flush; maybe she was actually going crazy, and that Chino had been a perfectly normal student? She felt stupid standing here, especially after kicking the door open. Sakura turned to leave, but instead stared dead ahead. She wasn’t sure how she had missed it all the times they sat here, or if maybe she had just been out of view from it—across the room, Sakura could clearly see the couch she would sit in almost every day. Had Chino been studying her, watching her? Something twisted in her gut, and her hairs began to stand on end. Something was  _ wrong _ .

The earth began to shake, startling Sakura and sending her backward onto the couch. An earthquake? Her town hadn’t had one in years, the last one she remembered being recorded was over twenty years ago. Something hot pressed against her back, and Sakura recognized it as coming from inside of her backpack. She whipped out the book, the cover sporting the fan from before (which she now recognized as the Uchiha symbol), and the pages glowing underneath it. The earth continued to rock, its intensity growing, books falling from their spots on the shelf. Sakura swallowed hard, scared to open the book and see what was hiding beneath the surface; it seemed the book had its own intentions, the cover flipping open on  its own, leaving a trembling Sakura to stare at the pages.

_ Run. _

Sakura stood abruptly, her eyes growing wide and her breathe beginning to hitch. The pages turned by themselves, but it was all the same:  _ run _ . The word littered every page, every open space, and Sakura couldn’t help but feel like it was almost screaming at her. The light above her flickered, and in the second it was dark, a man whispered into her ear.

** Run. **

She took off, her heart pounding so hard she thought it would burst out of her. She didn’t know where to run to, but ran nonetheless. She would run until her legs burned and gave out, and then she would crawl until her nails bled and her body gave up. Sakura sprinted through the aisles, lights above her flickering, and books being tossed from their homes onto the floor. The earthquake was violent, and Sakura found herself tripping and hitting the ground a few times, but always recovered and took off again. She was thankful for all the training she had done before this, helping her build up her stamina; adrenaline really seemed to help, too. Sakura wanted to closer her eyes, scream and cry, drop to her knees and curl into a ball, but she resisted. She had been running through the aisle for what felt like forever, but when she looked up, she saw no end to it—and endless hallway of falling books and flickering lights. She wanted to scream, but couldn’t waste her precious oxygen, and instead continued to run blindly forward. The walls around her began to twist, falling in and towering over her. 

The tunnel of books began to change before her eyes, branches and leaves finding themselves scattered amongst the shelves. The lights above had gone out, but light would shine to illuminate her path every few seconds. Sakura’s legs begged her to stop, but she couldn’t. She had been commanded to run, and that’s exactly what she was going to do. The firm carpet she was used to had changed, and Sakura knew she was running on the hardened earth. The earthquake had ended, thankfully, but now roots threatened to take hold of Sakura and send her plummeting forward. The familiar aisles became less and less, being replaced by forest scenery. The tight enclosure now opened up to a green, lush forest, and sunlight broke through the tops of the trees to light her path. Finally, Sakura collapsed. 

Sakura rested against a tree, breathing hard and fast, her hands shaking and tears threatening to fall once again. She didn’t know where she was, how she had gotten there, or how in the hell she was going to get home, but she forced all those thoughts into the back of her head for later. There was a pleasant, almost mocking breeze which rolled through, cooling down the burning pink-haired girl.  _ Okay, okay. We lived. We’re alive.  _ Sakura started, trying to pacify herself.  _ Our first step should be to figure out where we are, and if there’s anywhere we can stay for a few days.  _ She didn’t want to move, not yet, but knew daylight was burning, and she had a hell of a lot of questions. She needed information, she needed to figure out how she was going to survive until she made it home. 

She forced herself up, making sure to toss the book she had been death gripping two minutes prior into her backpack, and began walking attentively through the forest. If she hadn’t just been tossed here against her will, it would’ve actually been quite beautiful and serene. Sakura took the time by herself to recount the events leading up to this: she went to the library looking for Chino, got stuck in an earthquake, and then ran through an endless tunnel of falling books before it morphed into a big forest. Great. Made perfect sense. Sakura shook her head, biting her bottom lip nervously. She just hoped she wouldn’t be stuck here forever.

The forest began to break apart, and Sakura couldn’t contain her suddenly burst of speed as she escaped the confines of the trees. Sunlight poured down, warm and friendly, lighting up everything around her. Sakura took a deep breath, scanning the region ahead of her carefully. Her heart fluttered when she spotted a small village a bit away, a small river separating the land between them. She descended the hill she was on, nearly sprinting towards the village. She prayed they were friendly, or at least decent enough to get some information out of. In a perfect world, they would be trustworthy, and let Sakura possibly sleep there for a few nights—she didn’t want to get her hopes up and forced those thoughts away. It only took about five minutes before she reached the edge of the village. Now, standing just a few seconds from the entrance, she suddenly felt unsure. 

Someone tugged at the bottom of her shirt, making Sakura nearly jump out of her skin. She turned, looking down at a small child. “Are you lost?” They asked, tilting their head curiously. Sakura gave a small smile, nodding. “I am, unfortunately,” Sakura started, leaning down to get to face level with the child. “Can you tell me where I am right now?” The child hummed, and if she had to guess, they were debating on if they should actually tell her anything. “Well, you’re in the Country of Fire right now,” the child started, tapping their cheek  inquisitively. “ Land of Fire?” Sakura repeated, tilting her head. “What continent is that on?” The child stared at her, looking sour. “Let’s go get my papa,” they mumbled, taking off into the village, with Sakura close behind them. She might’ve been farther from home then she thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually a second, rewritten version of my original chapter two, which was meant to feature Shisui. Although I love him, it just didn't feel right to introduce him quite yet. Soon, I promise. Soon.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has given kudos/comments/etc. It actually really does motivate me, lol. I'm sorry if there's a lot of spelling or grammar errors, truth be told I don't have the energy to proofread. Anyway, a lot but also not a lot happens in this chapter. Enjoy!

The village was small, picturesque, and generally just peaceful. Sakura duly noted that most of the people left in the village were women, children, and the elderly; she could see men, sure, but they wielded spears and swords. Guards, no doubt. Sakura wanted to look dead ahead, but she could feel their curious, accusing gazes on her. She wanted to smile, or to reassure them she was just passing through, but found herself at a lot for words. Sakura could tell she was out of place, her clothes being the biggest giveaway, and found it reasonable for the villagers to suspect foul play. In the back of her mind, she had a small idea of where she had landed, but didn’t want to entertain it; she feared the truth, hoping instead this was just another dream. 

The child stopped in front of a house, cupping his hands around his mouth as he entered. “Papa? Mama? There’s a weird lady here,” he yelled out, making Sakura wince back. He wasn’t wrong, but man, kids were so blunt. She could pick up the sound of hushed whispering behind the cloth that must’ve constituted as their door, and fiddling with her fingers nervously.  _ Please, please... Just give me a chance,  _ she begged inwardly. A young woman exited, looking about her age, eyeing up Sakura cautiously. Sakura wasn’t sure of the customs here, and fear of being disrespectful, dropped her head a bit. “You have a name, I assume?” The woman asked, crossing her arms underneath her chest. Sakura nodded, glancing up to see an expectant gaze. “Haruno Sakura,” she followed up quickly, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. “You don’t look like you’re from around here. Where do you hail from?” The woman continued, glaring at her. Sakura hated being interrogated but reminded herself they were probably just doing their best to keep their village safe. However, Sakura had a distinct feeling they wouldn’t recognize her city. “U-um, well, I’m assuming I’m still in Japan--”

“Japan?” The woman repeated, tilting her head curiously. Sakura bit her lip, nodding. “Yeah, like the country--” she followed up, realizing her mistake immediately. “Never heard of it,” the woman snapped back. Sakura didn’t break her eye contact with the woman, but knew that all eyes were on them, including from the guards, who began to approach her cautiously. “I-I think your son mentioned that were in the Land of Fire--” Sakura started, racking her brain for what to say next, “I just... I’m not sure where that is, exactly. I’m just trying to get home,” she finished, her shoulders slugging forward. When the woman didn’t respond, Sakura decided it was her cue to continue on. “If it, um, helps, I’m from Yokohama--” she ran a nervous hand through her hair, glancing away at the guards who were just a few beats from them. “I know it’ll sound crazy, but...” the woman raised a curious brow, but said nothing. Sakura continued. “I was stuck in an earthquake, back in my country, and something told me to just run as far as possible, so... I did. But as I ran, the world changed around me, and I found myself in the middle of that forest over there--” Sakura turned, pointing at the forest across the river.

The silence was heavy, but thankfully, the woman’s gaze softened only slightly. “I see,” she murmured, dipping back inside her house. She returned only a few moments later, a man—which Sakura assumed was her husband—next to her. The man was twice the woman’s age, but she bit her tongue. “I’ve never heard of Japan, nor Yokohama,” he started, voice deep and rough. She could feel her stomach sinking further, staring sadly at the ground in front of her. “But your story, we do recognize it--” he continued, rubbing his chin curiously. “You are the first to have claimed to live through such a thing, though,” he eyed her suspicious, and Sakura straightened her back. He was sizing her up, she knew. Sakura waited for him to continue, but he just shook his head. “We will allow you to stay the night, but tomorrow, we ask that you will leave. We will appease whatever god brought you here, but we cannot do more. You are a threat to this village.” 

Sakura swallowed hard, unsure if she should feel relief or insulted. They would give her a night, that was something at least, but everything else he said had her gut twisted and turning. A god had brought her here? What did that mean exactly? Not to mention her called her a  _ threat _ —that was probably the worse of them all. She had strived to become someone who could help, lending her hand and skills when needed. These people didn’t know her though, all they saw were an intruder. Still, she was hurt. Sakura nodded meekly to him, “thank you.” The man shook his head quickly, “do not thank me.” The man glanced towards the guards, gesturing towards Sakura. “Take her to the house farthest out of the village, and set her up for the night.” He commanded, the guard moving towards her without so much as acknowledging the instructions. “Follow me,” the guard said blankly, a swift hand signaling her to move forward. She obliged, following just a few steps behind the guard. 

The hut was a bit disheveled, but livable; Sakura had been thankful for a working roof and walls, at least. The man had definitely taken her to the farthest hut, this one clearly separated for this exact reason. She assumed it was with the intention that if she was being hunted or a target of any kind, her pursuers would know to check here first, possibly leaving the village alone. Perhaps it was some unspoken truce in this world. Sakura sat on the wood floor, her eyes wandering about the room curiously. In a weird way, it almost felt like she was camping, and had just rented a shitty cabin. It was... comforting, for whatever reason. “We will bring back food in a few hours,” the guard said gruffly before taking his leave. Sakura crawled over to the small cot in the corner, curling up on its soft fabric. It certainly wasn’t a bed, but it was better than sleeping on the dirt or hardwood; it was something she felt she should probably begin adjusting to now. Sakura swallowed hard, tears beginning to swell. The reality of it all was beginning to weigh on her, and she wanted nothing more than to wake up back in her dorm. At this point, she even accepted having that cursed book be there. 

She doesn’t remember dozing up, but the sound of knocking against wood awoke her. “Come in,” she called out, her words slurring a bit as she tried to pull herself awake. A girl entered, maybe about eleven or twelve if Sakura guessed, holding a tray with a few bowls on it. Sakura sat up, rubbing her eyes to push away the blurriness. “Did I wake you?” The girl asked hesitantly, shrinking back. “I just dozed off by accident, no worries,” Sakura mumbled back, smiling at the girl, who only shrunk back more. It made her heart sink. “I was asked to bring you food,” the girl said, shifting in the doorway. “Oh, that sounds wonderful actually. Come in,” Sakura said, gesturing for the girl to take a seat by her. The girl obliged, obediently entering and setting the tray down by Sakura’s feet. Sakura eyed the food curiously, surprised to see such generous portions; to be honest, she had been expecting something barely above edible, especially since she felt like they saw her as an unknown outsider. “I-I’m sorry if it’s not enough,” the girl apologized meekly, dipping her head low.

“Oh, no-no--! I was actually surprised at how nice it looked. I thought it would’ve been something more simple, ya’ know?” Sakura said, smiling softly towards the girl. “We wanted to serve you only the best--” she started, but stopped herself. Sakura eyed her curiously, glancing back down at the food; slowly, it all began to fall into place in Sakura’s head.  _ Of course _ . The village’s leader (or what she assumed him to be) had mentioned appeasing the gods; they probably thought she was some kind of divine messenger or someone by some god. Sakura watched the girl carefully, studying her body language, watching her shrink back from her gaze. They were afraid of her. Or, more accurately, they were afraid of the wrath that they thought she could bring down upon them. “Do you get to eat stuff like this?” Sakura asked, gesturing to the bowls filled with soup, bread, and freshly cooked meat. The girl shook her head. “Come, eat with me.” 

The girls head snapped up, eyes wide. “Ah, t-thank you, but there’s no need. I was just tasked with bringing it to you--” Sakura laughed, waving away her words. “You’re so adverse, is it poisoned or something?” She joked, playfully grinning. “No. Of course not.” The girl cut in, her voice suddenly serious and stern; it caught Sakura off guard, making her blink slowly. Perhaps it was an insensitive joke. “Then, there should be no problem if I share a bit,” Sakura said softly, her eyes glancing back down at the food. “I won’t make you, of course, but I would be really happy if you had some too. It’s just not fair for me to get all of this,” Sakura sighed, gesturing dramatically over the food. The girl hesitated again but crept slowly farther into the room, eventually taking a seat across from Sakura. “I’m Haruno Sakura, by the way,” she said, picking up the bread and biting off the corner. “I’m, um--” the girl paused, biting her lip. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t feel comfortable,” Sakura assured her, setting the bread down and beginning to cut the meat in half. “I’ll have this half, and you can have the other,” she said, pushing one half of the meat towards the girl. She hesitated, but after watching Sakura’s nod, she snatched it up. “Thank you.”

The meal was surprisingly good, but Sakura made sure to pace herself, taking time to split up the food the best she could. She really wished she had eaten before this whole ordeal; she wouldn’t be so starving now. Sakura was happy that the girl, now identified as Hana, seemed to be warming up to her. Hana confirmed Sakura’s theory, that it was custom for unusual visitors to stay in a house separate from the main village. It allowed them the safety to do something good, without risking their village. Sakura got some information about where she was staying, too; it was, unsurprisingly, a farming village—they mainly got their money by sending traders to the larger villages to trade. This particular village specialized in fish, a breed that was rare, but showed up in abundance in their rivers. In fact, the meat presented to her had been said fish; Sakura had to admit, it was one of the best she had in a while. They were a small village, but happy and thriving. Hana talked about how soon, she would be finding a husband, starting a family of her own. The idea didn’t sit well with Sakura, but she bit her tongue—this girl wasn’t even thirteen yet. “Do you have a husband?” Hana asked, her cheeks flush and eyes sparkling. “Certainly, you must be old enough for one. And you have such unique features.” Hana let out a dreamy sigh, cupping her cheeks with her hands. 

Sakura almost snorted, but muffled it with a giggle. Now that Hana had opened up a bit to her, she realized the girl was quite chatty. “Not quite. I’m not too interested in that stuff,” Sakura said, shrugging. “I don’t understand. Isn’t it a woman’s goal to find a suitable husband?” Hana asked, scowling in confusion. “Not to me,” Sakura laughed, shaking her head. “A child would be a detriment to my dreams. At least, right now. I think, eventually, I'd want kids.” Hana looked at her seriously, weighing her words. “What are you dreams, Miss Sakura?” Hana asked, leaning forward. “Well, I wanted to become a doctor. Mainly, though, I just want to help people who need it.” Sakura sighed, a sad smile tugging on her lips. This would definitely be a setback in her career. “A doctor? I didn’t think a woman could become that,” Hana said incredulously. “But, then again, I suppose Lady Tsunade could be considered a doctor,” Hana followed up, tapping her chin. Sakura raised her brow, her interest suddenly peaked. “Who’s that?”

Hana made a face, and Sakura wasn’t quite sure what the girl was trying to express. Her voice dropped low, her eyes suddenly serious. “You don’t know?” She asked, her shock evident. Sakura shook her head. “I’m not from around here. I don’t really even... know much about this country,” Sakura said honestly, frowning a bit. “Lady Tsunade is a god—no, something more—she falls between being a god and an ancient. She wields monstrous strength, able to flatten any land she desires. But her strength lies in her ability to heal. She can heal anything; any disease, injury, and even revert death,” Hana said, her voice low, barely a whisper. Sakura hummed, nodding. Revert death? What a joke—not that Sakura would openly admit it. She could tell by Hana’s shift in expression that disrespecting this god would only lead to bad things. “No other god can revert death. Not even the  _ Uchiha or Senju _ ,” Hana added, hissing the two family names. Sakura swallowed, the names ringing clearly in her head. So, they were here, in this world? Great. Just great. Pages flashed in her head, and she could remember how cruel and ruthless the two clans were. She hoped to never cross paths with them here. 

The conversation was heavy between them, and Sakura did her best to pull it back up to something happy. She asked Hana more about marriage, if there was something she already fancied; like a snap of her fingers, Hana was back to her bubbly self, chatting away about a man who lived a village over, but would often come by theirs to trade. Sakura hummed, smiling, pretending to not be bothered by it all. After some time, Hana excused herself, collecting the dishes from the meal and excusing herself. Sakura sighed, peering out the doorway to see the sun beginning to set. She hoped she could sleep tonight, not plagued by nightmares. Tomorrow morning, she’d have to leave, and who knew how long it would be before Sakura found another village that would let stay the night. Sakura pulled her backpack towards her, unzipping it and peering at what was inside. She was thankful to see a few scarce granola bars, which she knew she was going to need eventually, as well as the book, her cellphone, an empty water bottle, and a change of clothes inside. It had been her gym backpack, and Sakura silently thanked herself for thinking to grab it before she tried to confront Chino. It was better than nothing. 

Sakura propped her backpack against the wall directly behind her bed, wrapping the thin blankets around her frame. It was summer here, but she was grateful; if it was any colder, Sakura would be freezing beneath the blanket. Instead, she was comfortable, and found her eyes becoming heavier as time passed. There was so much that had happened in just twenty-four hours, and yet, her brain couldn’t seem to process any of it. Information overload, perhaps? Sakura wouldn’t complain; instead of her endlessly fighting her thoughts, she was just met with the black of her eyelids. She would just have to deal with things as they came her way.

Morning came fast, and Sakura was already awake when someone knocked on the side of her building. She didn’t bother to call out and invite them, knowing what they were here for; she sighed, tossing her backpack on, and exiting the hut. Two guards stood there, eyeing her with guarded eyes. She frowned, saying nothing, but followed them back towards the village. “The village leader wishes to see you off,” one of the guards said, “he wants to make sure your stay was comfortable.” Sakura nodded, knowing that neither of the guards were paying any attention to her. She wasn’t an idiot, she knew that the man wanted to make sure no angry god was going to come rampaging through their village. The group strolled past the hut Sakura had stopped at the previous day, the woman and boy standing out front, watching her pass. The boy waved at her, smiling, but the mom pulled him behind her. Her heart stung, but she forced her gaze back ahead. 

They stopped in front of a large hut, and Sakura wondered how she had so easily missed it; it wasn’t anything enormous, but was at least twice the size of the normal huts. The man from yesterday stood outside, arms tucked behind his back. He had guards stationed on both ends of the building, with two unfamiliar men standing on both sides of him. “Miss Haruno,” the man greeted, bowing his head. Sakura returned it, making sure to bow her head deeper. “I’m hoping your stay had been comfortable, and everything had been up to your standards...” He said, voice calm, but eyes full of judgment. “Yes, you’ve been very understanding and helpful,” Sakura responded, straightening her back. She did her best to sound diplomatic, play the part that she knew he wanted. A crowd had formed behind them, watching the scene. It was all a powerplay, and Sakura knew it would be better off if she just played into their hands. He gave her a nod, a grin—no, a smirk, Sakura noted, appearing. “I apologize that we can’t offer you anything more--” he began, his voice almost  _ mocking _ , but was cut off by the sound of horses, yelling, and metal clinging. He narrowed his eyes, but Sakura was looking off into the distance, bewildered. The mix of noise was something she had only heard from shows, but it felt different in person. 

A small group of men sped into the village, jumping off their horses in front of the hut. Sakura took a few steps back, giving the men space. They hauled off a body, a man who was bleeding heavily from his stomach. The leader descended upon them, eyes wide, and teeth-gritting. “We were making our way back when an arrow pierced him,” a man said, setting the grunting soldier down. “We were lucky to be so close to home, but...” Sakura stared at the man on the ground; he was holding his stomach in pain, eyes clenched, and breathing hard. The air was tense, and she realized that this was nothing more than a death sentence; they simply brought him back to die somewhere familiar. No, she wouldn’t stand for it! She had studied for this, and although she was far from a certified doctor, she had enough general knowledge to do something. Sakura rushed to his side, bypassing the guards, and kneeling down next to the soldier. She ripped her jacket off from her, not wanting the sleeves to get in the way.

“Give me a knife,” she commanded, outstretching her hand to a soldier. The man stared back, unsure of what to do. “Do you want him to die?” She hissed, her hand stretching farther out. The soldier, perhaps acting on instinct, unstrapped a knife from his leg and handed it to her. She used it to tear the cloth from the wound, eyeing the injury carefully. They had pulled out the arrow, causing more blood to flow out. She bit her lip, the scent of blood hitting her nostrils hard. “I need clean rags, water, a needle, and some thread.” No one moved, everyone gawking as Sakura began to apply as much pressure to the wound as possible. “Now!” She commanded, her voice spurring sudden action. The women scurried away, rushing into their homes, and returning back to Sakura’s side with the needed materials. Sakura knew rule number one of dealing with injuries was sanitation—if her professors could see her now, blood-splattered up to her forearms with no gloves and no way to really clean up—god, they would have her head.

That didn’t matter right now though. She had a man before her, bleeding out and in pain, and Sakura would be damned if she just sat back and didn’t at least try. Sakura took one of the rags, dipping it in water, and using it to wipe some of the blood off. Her mind was racing, but her hands were steady, and her actions automatic and calculated. “I need boiling water,” she said, doing her best to clean the wound while trying to keep as much pressure as possible. “We just need to stabilize him a bit more, and then we can move him inside,” Sakura told them, rotating the rags smoothly. Time seemed to slow, but Sakura was happy no one interrupted her, instead following her orders and giving her space. 

The hours dragged by, but eventually, Sakura felt he had stabilized enough that she could rest. Her hands were caked with blood, some dry, some still wet. A boiling pot of water was on a fire nearby, and a few bloody needles and thread scattered around her. Most of the used rags had been tossed to the corner, keeping them out of her way. Sakura felt sweat dripping down her face, resisting the urge to wipe it off. She stood, shakily, and exited the hut. A woman stood outside, standing a few feet from the entrance; although it was dark outside, Sakura could tell the woman had bloodshot eyes. The woman stared back at her, sucking in a sharp breath. “He’s okay, for now,” Sakura started, the relief palpable in the woman’s expression. “He’ll have to be monitored, of course, making sure no infection starts. I don’t know a full recovery time, but at least two weeks for sure.” Sakura continued, walking closer to the woman. “The wound was deep, but as long as he’s cared for, I think it should be okay. I did all I could.” The woman nodded meekly, wiping away fresh tears. She brushed past Sakura, entering the hut wordlessly. 

Sakura looked up at the sky, the moon shining brightly down on her. She let out a soft sigh, letting her eyes close for a minute. It had been exhausting. They had only the bare minimum and made tending to him much more difficult. If it had been in her time, she knew he could've been patched up in an hour or two. She bit her lip, looking down at the blood. He had lost so much blood, she was honestly surprised he lived; in truth, he should’ve died hours earlier, if not purely from blood loss. It was a miracle. Now, she was tired, sweaty, and covered in blood, but knew she had to leave. They only gave her the way day. She turned, giving one last long look at the hut, before turning and heading towards the main hut from earlier—she needed her bag and jacket, and then she would leave.

To her dismay, her items weren’t anywhere to be found. She hissed something under her breath, her head whirling around, seeing if maybe they just moved it. “They’ve been moved inside,” a familiar voice said, and Sakura turned to see Hana smiling at her. “The elders were so impressed by your actions earlier, they decided to let you stay,” Hana said gleefully. “They even insisted you stay in the nice lodging. I offered to show you to your room,” she continued, walking up towards the hut. Sakura wanted to respond, but had such little energy left, all she could do was follow behind. “You were amazing though, Miss Haruno. I couldn’t believe it. You really  _ are _ a doctor!” Hana continued, her voice was quiet as to not wake the others, but still bubbly and excited. “I’d never seen anything like it before. Even the normal doctors don’t work like you,” Hana said, gesturing towards an empty room. Sakura entered, a bit surprised to see how nicely decorated this one was in comparison to the other hut. The cot was much thicker, with nicer blankets and pillows; there were paintings scattered across the room, as well as small furniture pieces, such as a slightly raised desk, in the corner, set with ink and paper. In the opposite corner, Sakura could see a small cauldron, and upon closer inspection, noticed clean water. Immediately, Sakura sunk her arms into it, doing her best to scrub down the blood.

“Are you hungry?” Hana asked, watching Sakura scrub her skin down with her own hands. “No, I’m alright, just tired.” Sakura responded, her voice meek. Hana’s gaze moved up Sakura’s arms to her face, a soft smile. “Well, you’ll have one of the best cots in the village, so I'm sure you’ll sleep well. I’ll be in tomorrow morning to check on you.” Hana said, getting ready to take her leave. “Hana?” Sakura called, not bothering to look back. “Thank you,” she called, her voice soft and low. There was no response, but Sakura could hear the excited steps exiting her room and heading down the hall. When satisfied with her arms, although they still had a tint to them, Sakura found herself going face-first into the cot. She closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep quickly.

Sakura awoke on her own accord, no knock ever coming to disturb her. For once she felt well rested, although her arms felt a bit heavy for her liking. She vaguely remembered yesterday, sighing to herself as she turned back over, burying her face in the pillow. It had been the first time she had ever done a surgery by herself. Sure, she had seen multiple surgeries performed, both in person and through a recording, but that was  _ her first time _ . A sense of pride swelled inside her, but quickly dispersed. She shouldn’t get ahead of herself; although she had told the woman from the night before that there was a chance, Sakura knew the reality. The chance of internal damage was high, same with infection rates, and he had lost so,  _ so _ much blood. But in that moment, with tear-stained eyes staring at her, Sakura had lied. She got personal, something she wasn’t supposed to do with patients. Her mentor had told her—had been so clear with her. Getting personal would rot her from the inside out. Death, hurt, and pain were a part of the job. 

Her stomach growled, and Sakura let out a soft sigh. She tossed her blankets off, getting to her feet and leaving the hut. To her surprise, in front of her door, was a tray with still steaming food. Sakura glanced around the hallway but saw no one. She shouldn’t be surprised to be monitored, but their timing was impeccable. Still, the aroma of food was intoxicating, and her stomach growled expectantly. She pulled the tray inside, eating in her room slowly, lost in her own thoughts. A knock pulled her thoughts back, and Sakura beckoned the visitor in—Hana. “Was the meal to your liking?” She asked, voice cool, and eyes dropped low. Sakura hummed, watching her carefully. She was acting odd, similar to when they first met, but this time Sakura could tell her shoulders were still laxed, and her hands were folded in front of her, instead of stiffly at her side. “Is everything alright?” Sakura asked, giving her a smile as a sign of good faith. Hana glanced up for only a moment, but they dropped. “Of course, Miss Haruno,” she mumbled, making Sakura scrunch her nose.

“Did they say something to you?” Sakura asked quickly, catching the girl by surprise. “I--” Hana stated, lip wobbling, debating if she should risk lying. “I have some food still left, come sit with me,” Sakura said, gesturing to a spot ahead of her. Hana’s eyes lit up, but she didn’t move. “Please.” Sakura murmured, which seemed to appease Hana, who quickly took a seat across from her. “Thank you.” She said, smiling wide. Sakura pushed the tray towards her, watching Hana only hesitate for a moment, before quickly picking up a bowl and eating. “You can call me Sakura, by the way.” Hana’s eyes were wide, shaking her head fiercely. “Miss Haruno is so formal, and it just doesn’t suite me well,” Sakura followed up, shrugging. “I, I couldn’t possibly--” Hana stuttered out, looking like she was about to choke on whatever she was eating. “I like when my friends call me Sakura,” she said, laughing lightly. “Friend...?” Hana repeated, her lips parting in shock. “Well, I like to think we are, but maybe that’s too forward,” Sakura said, smiling at Hana, who seemed to be thinking deeply. After a moment, Hana returned her smiling, nodding quickly. “Friends!”

The atmosphere was starkly different from the previous days; they seemed much more friendly, smiling, bowing, and waving as Sakura walked about the village. Although Sakura was a bit put off by the extreme respect and over-the-top gregarious attitude, she wouldn’t complain. At least they weren’t pointing weapons at her throat or forcing her out of the village. Hana had explained over lunch that healers, or doctors of any kind, were sparse in this part of the country. There were a few in the large towns, but they were always busy with more important people; a lowly soldier would probably never get to see one. Hana had something else to her, something that unsettled Sakura to her very core—she had to see it for her own eyes. 

Sakura stopped at the hut from yesterday, wondering if she should maybe just turn and leave, fear for what she might see behind the curtain. To her surprise, the woman from yesterday moved the curtain, smiling up at her; she had dark circles, and looked like she hadn’t slept much at all, but her eyes were shining and full of hope. “Thank you, thank you so much,” she sputtered out, grabbing Sakura’s hands tightly in hers. She wasn’t sure what to say, only giving a lopsided smile in return. The woman, who had introduced herself as Tanaki, lead her inside. Sakura couldn’t believe her eyes; the man from yesterday was sitting upright, giving her a small, tired smile. His wound, which Sakura had clearly remembered bandaging up yesterday, was out for the world to see. The life-threatening wound was nothing but a disgusting scar, stitches still lining it. Sakura swallowed hard.  _ A miracle _ . 

Sakura didn’t stay long--- she couldn’t. The sight made her heart flutter, made her sweat and dizzy. She should be happy, and she  _ was _ , but deep down she knew something was wrong. Injuries like his didn’t heal that fast. Not overnight, at least. Sakura had inspected the wound, trying her best to hide the shock at seeing the wound nearly closed and healed. The stitches could probably come out already, especially at this rate. She ran a shaky hand through her hair, taking a seat by the river, watching the fish skittering across the floor.

_ “You were so coy the other day,” Hana laughed, her eyes glowing. “You pretended to not know Lady Tsunade, but the truth is, you’re a disciple of hers, right?” Hana followed up, the words spilling out quickly, her mouth unable to keep up with her excitement. “I’ve met someone of your status before, I just can’t believe it.” Hana continued, shaking her head. “Everyone is saying that Lady Tsunade sent you down from the heavens to help us mortals. Lady Tsunade was always rumored to have a soft spot for humans...” Hana took a bit of some bread, but that didn’t stop her from talking. “I’ve never a demigod before.” _

Sakura buried her face in her hands, her brain firing signals every which way. She tried to insist to Hana she was just another person, a human just like her, but knew the girl was unconvinced. Hana only winked back at her, thinking that Sakura was trying to cover her tracks. She had told her about the soldier she helped, saying she had seen Sakura’s work herself. But Sakura hadn’t done anything. She cleaned the wound, stitched it up the best she could, and bandaged him. She didn’t heal him, didn’t will his body to recover at an inhumane rate. Sakura could only sigh, leaning back against the cool earth. Telling them would be useless, she knew. Most of them would probably react similar to Hana, thinking Sakura was just trying to be discreet, not wanting to bring attention to herself. 

The day went by fast, with Sakura finding herself attending to those in the village. She had been sheepishly approached by a young boy, who asked if she was truly a healer. Sakura didn’t have the heart to tell him. Instead, she followed him back to his hut, where his mother lay coughing in bed. She did all she could, wiping her sweat with a cool rag, checking her vitals the best she could, and instructing her to drink as much water as possible, but to also have some ginger tea (which, Sakura was surprised they even had to begin with). That was only the start, and Sakura found herself wandering the village, helping those who asked. A young girl had fallen and sprained her ankle, so Sakura helped prop up her leg and put a cool rag on it, instructing her to stay off. By the end of the day, Sakura found herself exhausted once again, wanting nothing more to curl into the cot. The village elders had spoken to her briefly, assuring her she was welcome as long as she wished, and if that if she needed anything, all she had to do was ask.

Sakura didn’t like it.

The rain began to lull Sakura to sleep, a steady rhythm beating on the roof above her. She wasn’t some god, or even an apprentice to one. She was just a girl who was thrown into some weird world, forced to adapt. She hoped tonight would be the night she would wake up, finding herself back home in the comfort of her dorm. It would be sunny, she imagined, and she’d be well-rested and excited for the day. It would be a Friday, which meant she got to head straight to the hospital, working underneath those much more experienced than her. At the end of the day, she would shower and sit in bed with a cup of tea, satisfied. 

The smell of fire overwhelmed her nostrils, jolting Sakura awake. She almost considered turning and going back to sleep, but the sharp sound of thunder forced her up, shaking the ground she lay on. Her eyes were wide, and on instinct, Sakura grabbed her backpack and sprinted out of the hut. She strained her eyes, but could only make out the flames that ate apart the small village. Her breathing was unsteady and panicked, her eyes wide with terror—a crack of lightning would give her a momentary view of the bodies below, with people scattered away from it all. The scene was painfully similar, and it only took a heartbeat before Sakura remembered where she had seen it before. The book—that cursed, goddamn book.

Sakura sprang into action, sprinting into the blaze ahead of her. She could barely hear anything, surrounded by the crackle of flames, whipping wind, and thunder. She covered her mouth and nose with her elbow, squinting through the smoke. She ran, looking for any sign of life; she feared people being trapped inside or under rubble. Something grabbed at her ankle, forcing Sakura to pause and look down. Hana stared up at her, brown eyes glazed over, head busted open and tears streaming down her face. Sakura could see planks covered the lower part of her body, effectively pinning her there. Sakura shook, tears spilling down her cheeks without remorse. Hana opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out; her grip loosened as her face dropped into the mud silently. Sakura’s whole body shook, devasted to see the limp body in front of her. It was all too real, too vivid; she closed her eyes, willing herself to wake up. It had to be a dream.

Lightning struck a hut nearby, sending Sakura careening back; there was no chance for this village, and yet, the lightning continued to strike down upon them. Sakura glared up at the sky, its dark clouds circling overhead. Her throat was beginning to burn from all the smoke, and if Sakura cared at all, she would notice her skin beginning to blister and become enflamed. She couldn’t move, only staring up defiantly at the sky above, rage breaking past the tears that refused to let up. They had done nothing—these villagers lived simple, humble lives. Why, why,  _ why _ were they being punished? Was it because they had offered to help her? If Sakura had left, would they have been spared? Sakura forced herself to stand, pages, words, and names filling her brain. She remembered the story, remembered who had caused such a disaster. 

“Sasuke!” Sakura shrieked at the sky, thunder shaking the ground beneath her. She awaited the lightning that would come after, knowing that in this world, it was reversed, but it never came. “They were innocent!” Sakura continued, screamingly wildly at the sky. She knew it would do nothing, mean nothing. They were already dead, there was no saving them—and, besides, why would a god even pay her any attention? It only made her temper flare more, as if the flames around here were fueling her rage even more. “You  _ coward _ !” Sakura screamed, her throat raw and burning. She would have to leave soon, lest she wanted to be eaten by the flames that surrounded her. No thunder warned her as lightning hit dangerously close to her, forcing her to turn and flee. She ran as fast and hard as she could, rain blinding her, and wind slowing her. She didn’t care. A voice echoed in the back of her head, one that was so real, Sakura almost thought there was someone behind her.  _ Run _ . 

The lightening followed her, striking closer and closer each time. It couldn’t be a coincidence, Sakura knew. It was him. He had heard her. She pissed him off, and now she was running for her life as some  _ god  _ toyed with her _ .  _ Sakura ran adjacent to the river, whose waters threatened to grab her at any second and drag her under. She feared running closer to the trees, knowing if lightning struck, an insatiable fire would spread and eat up everything in its path. She would have to take the risk and just pray she didn’t lose her footing. Lightening hit in front of her, but she didn’t slow down; it almost felt like a joke, as if he was taunting her. She didn’t care. Well, she did, but she wouldn’t let him see it. 

He was growing fed up, and she could tell; his strikes were getting closer and closer to her. She wondered if maybe it had been a mistake to chastise him during his tantrum, but even if she died here, she couldn’t seem to care. After seeing the destruction, after seeing Hana, Sakura couldn’t just sit back and let it burn. The ground erupted under her, making her gasp, her head whirling to see the slightest trace of lightning. He had gotten her. She was sent into the river, the vicious waters quickly eating her up and dragging her under. Rocks and debris slammed into her back, making her open her mouth to gasp, but was met with salty water. Sakura couldn’t manage a sane thought as her body was flushed down the river, kicking and fighting to the surface with all the might. It proved futile; her limps no longer responded to her pleas, her vision beginning to blacken, and her brain running in slow motion. Sakura closed her eyes, resigning to her fate. 

***

There was something cool and smooth pressing against her forehead, stirring her from slumber. Her head was pounding, most likely from being whipped around and banged against in the river. Her body ached, but not from exhaustion or overworking it—she was bruised and battered, and she could tell without even looking. Although she was awake, her eyes refused to open, and her mouth stayed shut; her throat burned with every painful breath she took. She shouldn’t be surprised though. She had been certain, under those waters, that she had died. Actually, she had no idea how she was alive at the moment, but she didn’t dare utter the word on her mind. Miracle. Her body needed time to rest and heal, and it seemed that someone was taking care of her, so she wouldn’t question it. Her eyes were still heavy, and her brain was a jumbled mess. The only thing she could do now was sleep.

There were voices, Sakura could hear them; they were talking quietly, not attempting to be secretive, but being respectful enough to try and not disturb her sleeping form. She tried to listen to what they were saying, but they were too far for her to actually make out any words. Either way, Sakura found the chatter soothing, almost lulling her back to sleep. She wondered how long she had actually slept; in her head, it had only been maybe two days, but with how stiff and sore her body was, she bet it had been longer. Sakura tried to force her eyes open, but they refused; instead, she brought a weak hand up to her face, her fingers gliding gently up her cheek. “Oh! You’re awake!” A woman’s voice beamed, and Sakura could hear the shuffling following, which she guessed meant they were moving closer to her. “We found you on the side of the river, basically dead,” another voice entered, sounding a bit more soothed and knowing. Sakura tensed, knowing what was about to come next. “It was a miracle that you survived.”

Sakura mumbled something, her voice hoarse and indistinguishable. Her fingers met the cloth that rested on her forehead, before settling back down on her chest. “Don’t push yourself too much, okay? You were covered in some pretty rough bruises and cuts, not to mention that you had burns all over your body.” The second voice said, reaching out and swapping the cloth with another one; Sakura had to admit that the wet cloth did wonders for her head. Sakura wanted desperately to open her eyes, to see who had been caring for her, but her eyes lids remained shut. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but we’ll get there eventually,” the first voice spoke again, the woman gripping Sakura’s hand lightly. She did have a lot of questions. The only problem was she was too impatient to wait. Sakura opened her mouth, her lips barely parting, and forced her vocal cords into action. “Who are you?” She asked, her own voice catching her off guard. “Well, I know you can’t see us, but I’m Ino,” said the first voice, her tone chipper and light. “I’m Tenten,” the second voice followed, gentle and kind. “We’re priestesses, and you’re in the recovery section of our Temple. Lady Temari, our guide, allowed for you to enter. Once you’re up and moving, I’m sure you can get to meet her,” Ino said, patting Sakura’s hand lightly. “But for now, try and rest some more. We will be back in a bit,” Tenten followed up, and Sakura could hear the two girls standing, listening to their muffled steps as they left the room.

Sakura couldn’t sleep anymore. After they left the room, she tried to relax, letting her thoughts drift off and sleep beckon for her, but to no avail. She was in pain and exhausted, but she just couldn’t do it anymore. Sakura used her arms to force herself up, her upper body leaning over her legs. The cloth fell onto her lap, and Sakura couldn’t help but pick it up and hold it gingerly in her hand. She pressed the cloth against her eyes, rubbing small circles against her lids, willing them open. After a few minutes of rotating the cloth, her eyes finally opened, albeit blurry and unfocusing. Sakura pulled her head back up, blinking slowly as her vision began to adjust. The room was dimly lit, candles lit by the door, and a few spread throughout the room in clusters. Sakura looked away slowly, taking in what she could. She was in a small cot, slightly elevated from the ground near the entrance, but there were many identical cots around her, all spread evenly apart by at least six feet. 

Sakura turned, sliding her legs off the cut, her toes curling against the cool stone beneath her. She looked down at her legs, inspecting the multiple bruises and cuts against her leg. They had changed her, putting in a simple white top and white capri-length pants, and Sakura couldn’t help but wonder where her backpack was. It was the last thing she had that made her feel at home. She lifted her top up a bit, inspecting her stomach; it definitely looked rough, but Sakura was betting her back had the worst of it. She moved slowly, confirming her guess as pain shot throughout her body. She winced, returning to her default, her shoulders slumping forward. “Ah, up already?” Someone asked, sounding almost playful. Sakura looked up, eyeing the woman who entered. Her blonde hair was pulled into four different ponytails, with teal eyes that pierced right through Sakura. She wore a simple short-sleeved, black kimono, slits coming up to her midthigh, all held together by a red sash around her waist. It wasn’t what Sakura expected a priestess to be wearing, but she wouldn’t say it. She shifted under her gaze but nodded. “You must be quite the beast,” she said, walking towards Sakura with a thoughtful eye. “Mind if I take a peek? I’m not the most medically advanced, but it should do,” she said, lifting up Sakura’s legs to inspect it. Clearly, she it wasn’t a question and more of a notice. The woman inspected both of her legs slowly, moving up to her stomach and arms, before finally looking at her back. She whistled, letting Sakura adjust her shirt back down. “You are one lucky girl,” she said, laughing.

Sakura ran a hand through her hair in thought, “I couldn’t disagree more,” she mumbled, dodging the curious gaze. “Well, I’m sure you know this already, but you should be dead.” She said bluntly, crossing her arms across her chest; Sakura almost felt like it was mother scolding her. “I’ve never seen wounds heal as fast as yours, though. Obviously, you got something good going for you,” she said with a shrug, giving Sakura a small smile. “I’m Temari, and I run this temple. I’m sure you’ve met my two associates, Tenten and Ino.” Sakura nodded, rolling her stiff shoulders. “I’m the high priestess around here, so everyone reports to me. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask,” she said, turning on her heels and getting ready to leave. “Actually--” Sakura started, drawing Temari’s attention. “Why did you save me?” 

Temari hummed, resting her hands on her hips as she leaned against the doorframe. “Well, we try to help others when we can, but...” Temari rubbed her chin, trying to think of how to explain it. “The truth you, I’m pretty sure you were dead when we found you,” Temari said bluntly, her lips pressing into a line. “You had washed up on shore, and when I checked you for a pulse, there was nothing. You weren’t breathing, moving, doing anything. But as I went to leave, you jerked, coughing up water. I checked again, and your pulse was there, but weak,” Temari said, her voice low and serious. “I know my stuff. You were dead... and suddenly, you weren’t. If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. Sakura felt tense, the atmosphere weighing down on her. Her eyes were getting heavy again, begging to close again. She didn’t know what to say, or how to process her information. People don’t just... come back. “You’ve been here maybe around a week, give or take. The worst of your injuries have already healed. You might not know this, but you had a horrid gash on the back of your head. After a day, though, it was gone.” Temari pushed herself off the frame, getting ready to make her exit. “I’m not sure who or what, but something has taken an interest in you.”

Sakura had to lay down. Her world was spinning, her brain doing its best to process it all. She pulled her knees to her chest, despite her back hissing it’s complaints. She had hoped that over time, she would get answers; she would begin to piece things together, and maybe formulate a plan. Instead, with every passing hour, more and more questions began to arise. Sakura had never met a god, had done nothing to make her stand out—she didn’t get it, and, truth be told, she didn’t care. She didn’t want the attention. She wanted to be back in her classes, back at the hospital, back in her world. Sakura sobbed into her pillow, burying her face so deep she thought she might suffocate. This wasn’t a bad dream. This was reality. Maybe not  _ her _ reality, but a reality. 

Ino and Tenten stopped in a few hours later, greeting her cheerfully. Temari had already informed them that Sakura had awakened and was beginning to move around, so they made haste in returning back to her. “We moved your belongings into our storage for the time being,” Tenten said, who stood to the left of Sakura, but seemed to be guiding her. Ino stood to the right, wrapping her arm around Sakura’s, talking off the girl’s ear. It was nice though; they had just met, and yet Ino acted as if they had been friends forever. It was weirdly heartwarming. “You’re welcome to stay with us as long as you want,” Ino said, pulling Sakura from her thoughts. The girls entered what Sakura assumed was their storage room, Tenten guiding her to a small cupboard; inside was her backpack and clothes, which looked like they had been washed, and neatly placed inside. 

Sakura spent the rest of her days with the two girls, but she enjoyed the company. Ino was bubbly, but blunt, and shared her opinions without remorse. Tenten was confident, but kind, and made Sakura feel like she was a big sister Sakura never got. They showed her around the decorated temple, eventually guiding her to a large library. Her heart swelled as memories of the earthquake came back, shaking her to the very core. “Is everything alright?” Ino asked, noticing the distress. Sakura bit her lip, wrapping her arms around herself. “Just... bad memories, that’s all,” Sakura murmured, shaking her head. Ino leaned against Sakura, and Tenten gave her a sympathetic smile. “I still love libraries, though,” Sakura continued, trying to shake the sadness in her gut. “We have books on just about everything,” Tenten, turning to look at the high shelves. “By chance, is there something on medicine?” Sakura asked, walking over to a shelf and observing the books. They were in pristine condition, their covers similar to the book she had, but not quite as dark leather. “Of course,” Ino said, breezing past her. “We don’t have much, though,” Tenten followed up, sounding apologetic. “Anything would be wonderful,” Sakura said, following Ino.

Ino climbed a ladder, eyeing each book at the top carefully, before decisively grabbing a green colored book. She nearly leapt off the ladder, landing easily on the ground, and handing Sakura the book. “Hopefully this will work for you.” Sakura looked the book over, flipping through some pages. It was a breakdown of different medical herbs, where to find them, and how they could be crafted into poisons, teas, and everything in between. Sakura didn’t have much of a green thumb, but she would take whatever she could get. Knowing more of the land's plants couldn’t hurt anyways—she didn’t want to risk accidentally consuming something poisonous or brushing against something that would irritate her skin. “Do you practice medicine?” Tenten asked, peering over Sakura’s shoulder to look at the book. “I guess you could say that. I was going to school to be a doctor, with a focus on brain-related trauma, but I also thought about going for a minor in pathology” Sakura said with a soft hum, tucking the book under her arm. “I’ve never heard of a school that would allow a woman in,” Ino said, tilting her head. Tenten scoffed. “That’s because the men around here are all outdated. They underestimate us.” 

The girls left the library, guiding Sakura to her temporary room. She set her backpack against the corner, sitting on the bed with a sigh. Her fingers traced the book, noticing how rough this one felt in comparison. Tenten dismissed herself, going to grab dinner for the girls, with Ino staying back to chat with Sakura; she offered to help, but Tenten quickly dismissed it. Ino only laughed, saying something along the lines of how independent Tenten was. She decided it would be a losing battle. Ino glanced around the room, walking over to a nearby dresser, and tossing a white kimono on the bed next to Sakura. It looked almost identical to Ino’s; minus the fact she had a purple sash around hers. “You can have that, if you want. It might be more comfortable than the men’s clothes,” Ino said, scrunching her nose. Sakura eyed the kimono curiously, feeling content in her own clothes, but reminded herself that customs were different here. It would probably be best for her to change.

Sakura slid off her clothes, wrapping the kimono around her while Ino sat on her bed flipping through the book. “I wanted to become a medic for a while, too,” she said, smiling at the book. “Why’d you change your mind?” Sakura asked, adjusting the white sash. The kimono was just a bit large, but Sakura didn’t mind. It just made it more comfortable. “It’s complicated, I guess,” Ino said, closing the book and setting it back down on the bed. “I know some basic things, like how to tend to injuries or stitch back skin. My strength lies more in infiltration.” Sakura took a seat next to Ino, tilting her head curiously. “What do you mean?” Sakura asked, genuinely inquisitive. “I’m not supposed to talk much about it,” Ino laughed, shaking her head. “You mentioned how you want to work with brain trauma, right?” Sakura nodded, watching the deviousness in her friend’s eyes. “I’m the one who usually causes them.”

Tenten entered not too long after, leaving Sakura puzzled, and a bit intimidated. Tenten balanced the plates on her arms, snickering at Sakura as she gawked. She took her plate, thanking her quietly, while Ino snatched hers with a grin. “Tenten is a weapon specialist, though,” she said, sitting back down by Sakura. Tenten frowned, taking a seat on the opposite side. “You’re not supposed to talk about it,” she chastised but didn’t sound too truly upset. “She’s scary to watch. I’ve never seen Tenten with a weapon she didn’t know how to wield. I bet she could kill someone with just a leaf,” Ino laughed, making Tenten smirk. “It’s my pride and joy. I work hard to be efficient.” The girls talked about their skills over dinner, Sakura even admitting to performing her first successful surgery a few weeks ago—although, it was quickly accompanied by a sharp pang in her stomach. She didn’t feel right bragging about something she didn’t do. The girls dismissed it quickly. “You saved him, end of discussion. He would’ve bled out without your help.” Ino said confidentially, Tenten agreeing. “You did the hardest part of the job. You should be proud.”

Sakura vividly remembered that day. It was hard for her to be happy for her work, which didn’t mean anything in the end—they would all perish, just like in the book. Yet, their words rang deep inside her, and she felt a bit better about it all. A large bell startled Sakura, jumping in her spot. “Ah, don’t worry,” Ino said, patting her back. “Just means it’s time for training.” Sakura blinked but watched the two girls getting up from their spot, plates in hand. Ino winked back at her, grinning. “You can come watch, if you’d like.” Sakura hummed, grabbing the medical herb book and following after them. They made a quick detour, dropping their plates off in the kitchen area, before heading outside. Sakura squinted, the light blinding her. It felt so late in the day, and yet it was probably only about one or two p.m. 

Sakura took a seat on the stairs, watching the girls gather at the bottom. Temari strolled up, large fan strapped to her back. It had to be heavy, but Temari looked unburdened. It seemed this place was no joke. The girls split up into groups of two, making sure there was ample room between each of them. “Start!” Temari yelled out, weaving between the groups who immediately began to spar. It was fascinating to watch. Their movements were smooth and confident, striking without hesitation. Sakura was mesmerized, her eyes being unable to settle on any one group. Temari would step in every once in awhile, giving advice and helping adjust stances. Sakura smiled, watching in awe and envy. She wished she could fight like that, to be able to throw, kick, or dodge as if it was second nature. All she could do was run. Although Sakura found it all captivating, she forced herself to read. She didn’t know when she’d get another chance to actually sit and read, and needed to make sure she had some information in case things went south again (a thought she quickly dismissed). 

The sun was slowly beginning to set when Temari announced an end to the training, much to the delight of the girls. Ino collapsed on the stairs by Sakura, sighing dramatically. She smiled, closing her book to give her, her full attention. “You were great out there,” Sakura said, earning a large grin from Ino, who whirled around to face her. “There’s a reason why I’m Temari’s subordinate.” Ino boasted, earning a small hit on her head from Tenten. “Don’t grow more of an ego then you already do. I don’t think our temple would be able to contain it,” Tenten mocked playfully, rolling her eyes. “Aren’t you one too, Tenten?” Sakura asked, watching the rosiness of Tenten’s cheeks appear. “Y-yeah, I am. Normally there’s only one, but Temari insisted on having both of us.” Sakura nodded, looking out into the forest across from them. “It makes sense. You two fight fiercely, and your moves are much more refined.” 

“Quite so, but still room to grow,” Temari interrupted, grinning at the girls. Ino and Tenten straightened themselves, nodding. “Of course,” Tenten replied, suddenly serious. Temari glanced down at Sakura, eyeing the book in her hands; Sakura wanted to shrink back, feeling like she had gotten caught with something she shouldn’t have. “Curious about herbs?” Sakura rubbed her neck nervously. “I don’t know much about where I am, and... felt like having some more information of the plants around here would help. A lot of these can be made into ointments or teas.” Sakura said, pulling on a strand of her hair. “I should’ve guessed you’d be a healer,” Temari laughed, crouching down next to Sakura. “May I?” She asked, Sakura quickly handing the book back to her. Temari flipped through some pages, humming to herself, before stopping and turning to show the girls a picture. “See this flower? We use it here to treat bruises, but our supply is running pretty low.” Temari turned towards the sun for a moment, before turning her attention back. “If you wouldn’t mind, could you possibly find some more for us? It grows in the forest right here.”

Sakura hummed, taking the book back from her hands to read more about the flower. Ino and Tenten exchanged glances, before turning back to Sakura. “We could go with you, if you want,” Ino offered with a smile, but Temari shook her head. “Sorry, but I need you girls for something else.” Tenten frowned, and Ino tensed next to her. “So you want her to go into the forest alone?” Tenten asked, drawing Sakura’s attention over to her. “I think she’s capable of taking care of herself,” Temari retorted, clearly annoyed that her students were talking back. “It’ll be dark soon,” Ino cut in, taking a step forward. “Maybe it could wait until tomorrow?”

“We need them tonight, we have girls injured inside, and they need to be ready to fight at any second,” Temari countered, crossing her arms. The tension was growing, and Sakura could sense that if she didn’t say something soon, something was going to happen. She stood, smiling at Temari. “It should be no problem. It’ll be a good experience for me,” She said, heading down the stairs to the forest.  Tenten and Ino gaped, but said nothing; they knew they were outclassed here, and with Sakura accepting the offer, it was out of her hands. Quickly,  Tenten descended after her, handing her a small knife. “Just in case you run into trouble,” she said, smiling but insistent. Temari shifted at the top of the stairs but said nothing. Sakura accepted the knife, thanking her quietly before heading into the forest. As Sakura’s figure disappeared in the trees,  Tenten whirled around to glare at Temari. 

Sakura tried to walk fast, but also watched the floor carefully. She didn’t want to let down Temari, but also didn’t want to get hurt and make Tenten and Ino feel bad for her going off on her own. Plus, they needed this flower; this small task was the least Sakura could do for them, since they had helped her from the river, fed her, and gave her a warm place to stay. Sakura couldn’t shake the feeling that this was some kind of test, and that Temari wanted to see if Sakura had any worth to them—she didn’t want to let her down. Sakura hated failure. She trudged on, eventually hiking up the kimono to give her legs more reach. She knew she should’ve just stayed in the pants; they just made moving so much easier. Now she had to drag a dress around, one that significantly slowed her down. She knew if it came to it, she’d have to just ditch it and run naked to safety. It didn’t sit well for her. 

She wasn’t sure how long she had walked for, but the sun was nearly settled now, leaving Sakura on edge. She would have to be extra careful, and she hoped she wasn’t lost. She had walked in a straight line, marking trees she passed with the knife Tenten gave her. Still, she felt like she had been walking in circles for the past twenty minutes. She huffed, stopping in her tracks to look around. It was all too similar. She narrowed her eyes, spotting a slash in a nearby tree. She  _ had _ been here before. Sakura huffed, eyeing the previous trees—none of the ones behind it were marked. She headed down that path, but ultimately found herself back in the same spot. Sakura shook her head, slapping her cheeks. She was going crazy. 

She debated on what to do. No matter which way she went, she always seemed to end back up there. But sitting around and doing nothing didn’t help her, either. She crossed her arms, hitting on a large root from a tree. The moon was beginning to rise, and Sakura knew the girls would start to panic if she didn’t return. That, or maybe Temari had purposely sent her into the forest. Her gut twisted, and she shook her head to dismiss the thoughts. No, she wouldn’t think so lowly of Temari. The woman had been nothing but kind to Sakura, and she knew Temari was the whole reason why Sakura even had a place to sleep and eat. Still, it was damning. She had been so insistent that Sakura go alone, and judging by Ino and Tenten’s reactions, it wasn’t an easy task. Sakura had brushed them off, but now she regretted doing so. Sakura stood again, deciding she would rather walk aimlessly then sit back and mope. She wasn’t sure what exactly to do, though.

She began counting the trees. It was tedious and annoying, but she didn’t really have anything better to do. She carved numbers into each of them until she noticed a pattern forming; around the twenty-seventh tree, she would find herself crossing a threshold that would take her back to the original spot. She went clockwise, confirming her theory over and over, making sure to mark the trees that would signal the change in environment. Once she was content with it, Sakura followed the outer trees, making sure to stick closely to them. Not before long, Sakura found herself entering a new section of trees she didn’t recognize. Satisfaction bubbled up inside her, and she couldn’t hide the grin that came with. She always did enjoy a good puzzle, even though this one had been forced upon her. 

It only took Sakura another twenty minutes of walking before she spotted the familiar plants, which she snatched up greedily. The flowers edged along a clearing, the trees dispersing in this small section in front of her, adjusting from the tightknit weaving of trees to a more scattered scene. Moonlight poured down on her, brightening the darkness she had already grown accustomed too. There weren’t many flowers, but hopefully, it would be enough to appease Temari. If she was honest, she just didn’t have the patience to go and find anymore. She had already been out here for a few hours, and she was ready to head back and fall asleep. She let out a sigh, glancing behind her. The hardest part was yet to come—getting home. She hoped the girls weren’t worried. Sakura let out a sigh, looking down at the flowers in her hands. A cellphone would be so useful right now, she half laughed to herself. 

Sakura knelt down, adjusting the knife, and doing her best to balance the handful of flowers in her arms, but also not accidentally cut herself. She hummed to herself, laying the flowers out neatly on the ground in a small stack, which she would carry with her nondominant arm. A sharp breeze caught her off guard, making her hair whip around her, and sending her flowers scattered. She swore under her breath, snatching at the flowers that were now littered around her. She just couldn’t see to catch a break. Another breeze rolled through, one significantly less strong than the first, but still made her kimono shake and hair whirl around her. She sighed, looking up from her spot on the forest ground to stare at the trees ahead.

An unusual feeling washed over as she stared into the mingling of light and shade ahead of her. She could make out nothing of importance, just trees and their dancing leaves, and yet something beckoned her forward. Sakura could only stare, her grip on her knife loosening, and her fretting over the flowers being forgotten. She stood, her knife hitting the ground with a quiet  _ thunk _ ; every thought in her mind seemed to wash away, and she couldn’t fight the urge to walk forward. Her legs moved on their own, taking her deeper into the trees, wind whirling at her back as if to encourage her movements. She struggled in her own mind, part of her doing its very best to resist, but proved futile. As she crept forward, she found it harder and harder to resist, her thoughts eventually drowned out by nothingness. Her eyes were growing heavy, her fingers tingling, and her legs heavy—still, she felt like she was  _ so close _ , so close to whatever was beckoning her.

A near blinding light shook Sakura to her core, breaking whatever trance she had been in. She shook her head wildly, stumbling backward until her back hit a tree, and cupped her shaking hands to her face. “Oh, I’m sorry, did I scare you?” A young man asked, forcing Sakura to steady herself and look ahead. A young man with spiky blonde hair, cat-like lagoon-blue eyes, decorated by orange outstretching into his temples. Sakura took a deep breathe, shaking her head. “No, I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention,” she said, giving him a quick wave. The man laughed, taking a few steps towards her, the moonlight allowing Sakura to see him better, and—god, did he have  _ whiskers?  _ Sakura resisted the urge to stare at him, trying to keep eye contact instead. “No one is usually out here this late at night, especially this deep into the forest, so I figured I could get a little flashy,” he tittered, shrugging his shoulders up a bit. Sakura could feel her shoulders relaxing, his laugh soothing something the unsettled feeling inside of her. She couldn’t quite explain it, and she had only just met him, but he seemed so endearing and warm. Sakura felt like she could trust him with her life.

“You were that bright light?” Sakura asked, smiling as he beamed with confidence. “Yeah!” He beamed, resting his hands on his hips, puffing his chest out. “I’m still trying to work out the kinks of it all, but I think I can eventually move as fast as light,” he gushed, his eyes moving towards the sky; Sakura could’ve swore she something shimmering inside them, but before she could inspect further, he looked back to her. “Fast as light? How is that even possible?” Sakura asked, bewildered. The man laughed, shrugging. “There are far more unusual things people can do,” he replied. Sakura shook her head, clearly not accepting such an answer. “Not even the best scientists in the world can do such a thing, as far I know—” Sakura bit her lip, immediately catching her slip up. The man tilted his head, humming from the back of his throat. “Scientists?” He followed up quickly, and Sakura shook her head. “Forget it. I forgot... you guys don’t have those here, in uh, the Land of Fire.”

Naruto beamed at her, taking a few steps closer. “I want to know. It sounds wonderful. There are  _ people _ that are trying to master such a technique?” Sakura winced at his use of people, and he seemed to catch it, giving her a smaller smile. “Sorry, I know that might’ve come off as disrespectful,” he replied, sounding genuinely apologetic. Her tongue tingled, her fingers clenching as she watched him. “Just what are you exactly?” She asked abruptly, the words spilling from her mouth before she could stop them. The question didn’t seem to faze him, and she watched his ever-present grin spreading farther. “It’s a bit complicated,” he said truthfully, shaking his head. Sakura waited, wondering if he would continue on and fill the gap, but he remained silent, smiling back at her. It seemed he wasn’t going to budge on the subject anymore. “Anyway, what are you doing out here so late? Are you lost?” He asked, breaking the tension.

“I was asked to retrieve these flowers—Ah! The flowers--” Sakura spun on her heel, lumbering back through the trees to find her scattered flowers and dropped knives. She knelt down, quickly gathering the flowers into her hands. The man followed her, peering over her shoulder curiously. “Oh, I should’ve known,” he laughed, bending down next to her to grab her knife. “The kimono should’ve been a dead giveaway,” he said, Sakura sparing him a quick glance, watching him eye the knife. “Did Temari send you out here?” Sakura could only nod, letting out a soft sigh. “Man, I should’ve known. She’s such a firecracker. Always trying to test people and see how far she can push them before they break,” he laughed, shaking his head. Sakura adjusted the flowers in her hand, letting them lean against her forearm. She had guessed it was a test, but still, a part of her was hit with a pang of hurt. “Don’t worry about it too much,” the man said, quickly sensing her shift in emotions. “She wouldn’t have sent you out here if she didn’t have some faith.”

Sakura looked up at him, lip quivering, and a shot of panic went through his veins. He reached out, pressing a warm hand against her shoulder, doing his best to comfort her. She turned away from him, letting out a sigh, but he could feel her muscles relaxing. “I’m still pretty lost,” Sakura confessed, standing up with a sigh. He followed her up, knife twirling absently in his hand. “I was being so careful, but then I got stuck in some weird ring of trees--” she said, frowning, staring back into the trees ahead of her. “I’m happy to be out, but now I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get back.” He nodded next to her, rubbing his chin with his free hand in thought. “That’s definitely a predicament,” he started, turning to Sakura, flashing her a reassuring smile. “But! I think I can help.” He removed his hand from her shoulder, leaving Sakura feeling cold and missing his touch—although she would never say so out loud. “Do you know the forest well?”

“Every inch,” he laughed, cupping his hands together to make a sphere. Sakura watched closely as light began to spill out of the cracks of his fingers, fluttering only for a few seconds before dissipating. When he opened his hands, a small blazing fox appeared. Sakura leaned towards it, unable to mask her wide eyes. The fox had no face, and yet, she could distinctly tell it had emotions and was reacting to the world around it; perhaps the most unique trait was its nine tails, each one moving individually, shifting back and forth. “This’ll lead you back to the temple,” Naruto explained, setting the glowing companion gently on the ground. Sakura stared at it for a long moment, her eyes unmoving against the tiny creature who awaited her. “Will I get to see you again?” Sakura asked, her cheeks betraying her as a subtly rosy color appeared. The man stood tall, nodding with an indubitable smile. “Yes.”

His words echoed in her head as she walked, the fox springing ahead of her, giving her a small trail of orange and yellow sparks wherever it moved. The fox had no hesitation, and Sakura was grateful for the man’s help. She was much farther then she had first assumed, but having a companion lead her made her feel at ease. She eyed the trees carefully, noticing that none of them had been marked. She found it unsettling but kept her mouth pressed into a line, simply hugging the flowers closer to her chest. The moon was beginning to fall, and she knew it would be day soon. Sakura stepped cautiously but urgently over the large roots that littered the floor. The fox stopped for a second, looking back towards her, it’s tail twitching enthusiastically. Sakura paused a step behind it, burning the image of the spirit in her brain. She knew it was trying to tell her she was home, and yet, Sakura felt she could stay in the forest a little longer—a far cry from a few hours earlier. Ino’s and  Tenten’s voices echoed in her head, their laugh filling every cavity in her chest. She bowed to the creature, slipping past the last few trees. Ino and  Tenten were sprawled on the stairs, Ino wrapping her arms tightly around her body, eyes shut.  Tenten’s head rested on the step above her, chest rising rhythmically. A pang of guilt washed over her, but she swallowed it down.

Her presence seemed to stir the girls, with  Tenten being the first to sit up, followed shortly by a yawning Ino. Their eyes lit up at Sakura’s appearance, and they quickly began to descend the stairs. Sakura ran towards them, her heart beating fast in her chest. Sakura discarded the flowers, opting to throw her arms around the girls, weeping into Ino’s shoulder. “You made it,” breathed Ino, her grip like iron around Sakura. They broke apart, Sakura wiping her tears away as she smiled. “I got the flowers,” Sakura replied weakly, glancing down to see them laying at her feet.  Tenten laughed, resting a hand on her shoulder and giving her a squeeze. “We didn’t expect anything less.”

***

Naruto watched Sakura disappear behind the trees, waving goodbye with a wide smile. She would be safe with his summon, but... Naruto turned, a frown replacing his grin as soon as he felt Sakura’s presence diminish. He glared at the trees, his energy flaring in irritation. “Really?” He called out, stepping past the trees with a new, brimming confidence. The knife Sakura had discarded lay in his hand, and he squeezed it tightly, his knuckles turning white. “What were you thinking, trying to trap her in there?” Naruto called out, stopping in front of a tree that seemed to tower over the others.  Sasuke stepped out from behind, eyes red and spinning, standing confidentially. “A test,” he said bluntly, Naruto narrowing his eyes. “And what of  _ that _ ?” Sasuke tilted his head ever so slightly, watching the blonde ahead of him carefully. “She’s a threat.”

“Is she?”

“Yes.”

The two stared at each other silently, an unspoken battle raging between their eyes. Naruto understood where he was coming from, truly he did—but he could see past his façade, see the dangerously anomalous sparkle beneath his casual, unbothered eyes.  Sasuke _ hated _ it, but Naruto knew him too well. “Are you the one who kept her alive?”  Sasuke asked, breaking the settled silence. Naruto frowned, shaking his head. “No.” It was true, even if  Sasuke narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He had been there, though, watching her curiously. He was there when the world bent and shattered to produce the pink-haired girl, dressed in unusual clothes, face puffy and eyes frantic. He was certain she had died in the river, too. He regretted with every ounce of his being for not stepping in, stopping  Sasuke sooner, or pulling her to safety. Still, she had survived, and Naruto wouldn’t let the chance slip past him again. He had called on Temari to whisk the girl to safety, bring her inside the temple, which he knew  Sasuke would never step foot near. It would be an act of war, and  Sasuke was no fool. “Are you upset she challenged you?” Naruto asked, raising his eyebrows.  Sasuke scoffed, his expression as neutral as ever. “She wouldn’t be the first.”

“And yet, you’ve gone out of your way to seek her out.”

Sasuke didn’t outwardly react, but Naruto knew by the spin of his eyes that he had hit a cord. “Stop meddling with the affairs of humans,” Naruto said bluntly, his outline glowing with a mix of yellow and white. “And what of you?”  Sasuke retorted, leaning his weight into one leg, his shoulders shrugging back in boredom. “You seem to care about her an awful lot, Naruto.” The blonde smirked, bringing the knife up and twirling it.  Sasuke looked annoyed. “Jealous?” Now,  Sasuke looked pissed. “Never.” He hissed, shoulders tensing for only a second, but Naruto saw it. “You can keep her,” he said, turning and giving him a dismissive wave. Naruto bit his tongue, watching the Uchiha disappear into the shadow, his presence not lingering for even a moment after his departure. 

Naruto  sighed, arms crossed in thought. Sakura wasn’t dangerous, at least, not in the normal way. She had no fighting capabilities, wore her heart on her sleeves, and was easy to read; yet, she saw the world with bright, questioning eyes. She noticed things most people overlooked, studied things that most people dismissed. Memories danced back to the night of the storm, where Naruto had first seen the pain and desperation in her. She was just a girl. Human, weak. She was being eaten by flames, but her eyes were bright and defiant. In a swift motion and short breath, she had done something no one else had done. She called out to him. Cursed his name, not his clan, but  _ him _ . She called him a coward. He was certainly not a coward, and Naruto knew this well, yet Sakura had unabashedly declared him so. No mortal had ever said their name; the information simply not available. The Uchiha’s worked under their clan name strictly, using it to strike fear into anyone who heard it.

Naruto knew him too damn well.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait with this chapter! I had an idea planned but as I started writing, I realized it wasn't going to quite work out. This chapter ended up coming out a bit boring, and I'm not super pleased with it, but it'll have to do. I'll do my best to make the next chapters better. ♥

Sakura was grateful Temari hadn’t approached her right away. As the girls started up the stairs, flowers gathered in Ino hands, Sakura felt a wave of fatigue wash over her.  Tenten must’ve noticed, the girl reaching out and grabbing Sakura, helping her up the rest of the steps. Ino went opposite of them, running off to give Temari the flowers and good news that Sakura had been successful, while  Tenten guided Sakura back to her room, making sure the girl didn’t pass out on the way. They walked quietly, but it was welcome, her eyelids becoming heavier with each minute. “I lost your knife,” Sakura mumbled, thinking out loud. Sakura looked down at her empty hands, frowning; she clearly remembered having it for most of the night, and yet she couldn’t remember exactly where she lost it. “Don’t worry about it,”  Tenten smiled, patting her back. “I’m willing to sacrifice a few knives if it means you got to come back safe.”

Tenten left as soon as Sakura was back at her room, crawling into bed with the last ounces of strength she had; distantly, she could hear giggling, but her brain  didn’t  seem to register it. Sakura barely had time to slide under the welcoming covers before her eyes shut, her brain humming a soft tune that seemed familiar, but she couldn’t recognize (or at least, didn’t have the energy to). As her mind began to settle, Sakura could feel black of sleep beginning to wrap around her; in her final thoughts, she gripped the covers tightly, wondering where  Tenten’s knife had gone.

Sakura felt weightless, her body being pulled back and forth in warm water. She opened her eyes, staring straight up, and seeing herself reflected back at her. She didn’t--no, couldn’t-- move her body, instead letting her eyes wander over the unusual mirror in the sky to see if she could spot anything. She was floating in an endless ocean, nothing distinct popping out at her; she craned her neck, attempting to possibly see more, but the water glued her skin to it, and she gave up. Despite the situation, she felt oddly at peace; she felt she could lay there forever, letting herself slowly drift about forever. She wasn’t sure why it was so calming, but also didn’t feel the need to question it.

The waters began to move, pulling her with it. She could tell she was beginning to move in a set style, and she watched her reflection as she was dragged in a near perfect circle. She watched the speed begin to quicken, a vortex forming with her stuck in the middle of it. Sakura couldn’t bring herself to feel anything: no fear, anxiety, or even happiness. She felt like a husk, perhaps a corpse that just seemed to be washed away from the rest of the world. The waters were smooth, despite the rampant speed they now carried; Sakura’s head never went under, but she could feel the rest of her body beginning to duck under the embrace of waves. Water formed a wall above her, eventually blocking out the reflection from above. She held her breath as the vortex completed itself, sucking her under.

Sakura awoke to gentle nudging, the water she had become captured in replaced with crisp air; she squinted to make out the blurry forms of Ino and  Tenten , who hovered on the edge of her bed. She gave a lazy smile, sitting up and rubbing her eyes, willing the last of her sleep out of her. “Sorry for waking you,” Ino whispered, her fingers gliding across Sakura’s arm. Sakura shook her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “You didn’t interrupt anything important,” Sakura murmured,  her own fingers gliding across her arm; she half expected to still be wet, but was met with a familiar softness. “We wanted to see you before we left,”  Tenten said, sitting more near her feet. “You’re leaving?” Sakura asked, frown tugging on the corners of lips. “We won’t be gone long,” Ino quickly reassured her. “We have a mission if a neighboring town, but it seems pretty cut and dry.” 

Sakura sighed, feeling Ino grip her hand tightly. “It’ll be maybe three night we’re gone, at most,” Ino followed up, smiling at her. She returned it, nodding quietly, but felt her stomach knotting. She hadn't known the girls very long, and yet she felt a deep connection with them; she found comfort in them that she couldn’t even recall having with her normal friends, back in her world. The memories of  _ her world _ flickered across her eyes, her stomach sinking deeper. She bit her lip, resisting the urge to look away from the two girls. Apart of her felt guilty for nearly forgetting about her actual life, but... “I understand. It’ll give me time to read more, at least.” The girls smiled, bidding their farewells before departing.

She sat in the silence of her room for a long minute, flopping backwards onto the bed and staring at the ceiling. She had cried so much, and she hated it, and yet she couldn’t stop herself as more fought their way to the surface. She wasn’t sure what to feel at this moment ; a mix of s ad, lonel iness ,  and  confus ion —she wasn’t sure how to process it all. Sakura had pushed the thoughts of returning to her world to the back of her head, burying it deep inside of her, but being left alone brought them all back to the surface. She missed her home, her dorm, her parents. She would miss Ino and  Tenten . She realized she couldn’t be alone here: she  _ needed _ someone. Without someone, anyone, she was left alone with her thoughts, and it terrified her. 

Sakura debated going back to sleep, but after laying in her bed for maybe an hour, she realized that sleep was escaping her. She tossed the sheets off from her, grabbing the herbalism book from the dresser, and turned to leave. She would do what she did best, and that would be to throw herself headfirst into her studies. Her eyes lingered on her backpack, remembering the book that lay hidden inside. She crept over, kneeling down to peer inside, it’s familiar cover staring back up at her. Her eyes lingered over its smooth cover, silently wondering how it stayed in such good condition after being drowned in a river. Then again, it had survived being burned, so it wasn’t that surprising. 

The air was cool, but made up for the blazing sun that left the ground hot. Sakura rested her back against a pillar, staring out into the forest ahead as her fingers slid across the book to open it. It hadn’t taken the girls long to depart, but Sakura just hoped it meant they’d be returning sooner. She was thankful to the other girls who helped her find food, serving her a hot meal that soothed her aching stomach. Sakura stretched, letting out a satisfied sigh. She opened the book with a quiet hum, her eyes lingering over the colored pictures of different flowers, herbs, and other greenery. 

The sound of steel clashing against steel brought her back to reality, Sakura leaning back from her book and blinking slowly. The sun was high in the sky, and below her she could see girls sparring with different weapons. She pressed her palm against her cheek, rubbing it in thought. It must’ve been at least three hours, if she had to guess, since she had sat down. Her body was sore from sitting on the cement for so long, and she stood to stretch her limbs out, letting out a soft huff. Sakura glanced down at the girls again, her brain fuzzy from reading for so long, faint images still dancing across her vision. She searched the group, expecting to see  Tenten and Ino, but quickly remembered the exchange from the morning. “You seem down,” Temari called, smiling as she ascended the stairs.

Sakura shrugged lightly, giving her a small smile back.  “Just a little stiff from sitting.” Temari looked past Sakura to see the book on the ground, humming in thought. “They will be back as soon as they can be,” Temari responded, Sakura’s cheeks flushing slightly on being called out. She stood next to Sakura, hands resting on her hips with a straight posture as she looked out towards the forest. “We are priestesses. We find our peace and salvation only when others have.” Sakura watched her for a moment before following her gaze out into the familiar forest. Sakura knew they were priestesses, and yet hadn’t given it much thought prior. “Do you serve a god?” Sakura asked, eliciting a laugh from Temari. “We serve no man, nor god,” she said simply, her smile morphing into more of a smirk. “That doesn’t mean we don’t seek out their aid here and there, but we try to not make a habit of it.”

A cool breeze fell between them, pulling loose strands in front of her face. Sakura huffed, pulling them from her face and tucking it behind her ear before leaning back against the pillar. “I’m sure you’re very curious of what we are and what we do, and they will be answered in due time, but there is another reason I approached you today,” Temari spoke, breaking the silence between them. Sakura turned from direction from the forest to face Temari, who’s eyes were serious and unwavering; she felt almost unnerved but straightened herself up again. “I will not apologize for sending you into the forest,” she said flatly, stare boring into Sakura. “However, I want to make clear my intentions,” she paused, the hardened glare softening just a bit. “We have no master, no one we serve. We do not believe in politics. Humans are fickle, though, and many do not trust us.”

“We have been scorned by the wrath and hatred of others too many times before. We have been both betrayed and deceived, and although we do our best to protect ourselves, it will inevitably happen again.” Temari paused again, eyes flicking towards the girls below. “I do what I must to protect this temple, these girls. My home, their home,” a faint, almost invisible smile crept over the stern look. “My family is here.” Temari gave a quick wave of her hand, closing her eyes with a sigh. “I do not enjoy sending people away, nor did I enjoy sending you out that night. However, I had to see if I could truly welcome you here. I had to know if I could trust you.”

“And I think I do,” she concluded, resting her hand on Sakura’s shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. Sakura took a deep breath, not realizing she had been holding it this whole time. “Do you fancy yourself an idiot?” Temari asked playfully. Sakura’s mouth dropped opened, and she stuttered trying to think of a way to defend herself against the insult, but Temari’s laugh silenced her. “It is quite obvious you are not from here, Sakura,” Temari crossing her arms under chest, leaning her weight onto her left leg. “The flowers I sent you to get, only a fool would get them.” Sakura pressed her lips into a thin line, trying her best to understand what Temari was telling her. The only trouble she really ran into was the long walk, and the unusual illusion—but surely the two didn’t interlink, right? “It was no lie that those flowers work well as a remedy to cuts and other ailments. Still, they are quite potent at night, leaving those who wander too close to become lost in a daze.” Sakura could only frown; it wasn’t uncommon for plants to have side-effects, but it normally required some kind of ingestion, not to mention it was apparently limited to night. Sakura didn’t want to dwell on it, remembering  _ where _ she was exactly, but still couldn’t shake it. She hadn’t even considered such a unique threat. 

“That makes sense,” Sakura hummed, rubbing her chin in thought. “Not too long before I found the flowers, I got stuck in an illusion or something. It was like I was stuck in an endless loop...” Temari stood straight, but stared at her from the corner of her eye; something unusual flickered behind her eyes, but it passed too fast for Sakura to notice. She went rigid, but forced herself to relax, nodding along to Sakura’s story. “A trick of the mind can be far more dangerous than any sword or knife,” Temari cooed, tapping her index finger against her temple. “I thought I was going crazy out there,” Sakura laughed, shaking her head. “There’s one last thing I wish to discuss before I return to the spars,” Temari grinned at Sakura, and she could’ve  _ sworn _ there was a twinkle of something mischievous in her eyes. “I can tell you are not a fighter, which is fine. We do, howbeit, need a healer.” 

Sakura shifted, pulling on a strand of her hair absently. “I’m not--” Temari raised a hand, cutting her off. “You healed a wounded soldier, who recovered overnight.” Sakura’s eyes grew wide, her hands balling into fists at her side. Temari gave her a sly grin, leaning closer. “I told you, we do have connections to gods,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Sakura could feel her hands shaking, and she let her eyes roam anywhere but Temari’s. She had pushed that memory deep down inside of her, along with most of her thoughts of returning home, as it was easier to cope without it. Out of sight, out of mind, she tried to convince herself. “What happened to the village was a declaration,” Temari said matter-of-factly. “But not against you. They were straying too far from the faiths. It was inevitable.” Sakura found herself shaking her head, shutting her eyes tightly. “It didn’t have to happen,” she whispered back, looking down at the ground between them. “They died for  _ nothing _ ,” she found herself whispering, clenching her fists tightly. Temari watched her silently,  observing her actions carefully.

“But I’ll... I want to stay here,” Sakura bit her lip, looking up at Temari. “I’m no healer, nor a doctor, but I'll do my best.” Temari’s eyes lit up with triumph, a grin spreading across her face. “Wonderful,” she remarked, beginning to head towards the girls below. “We can begin your training soon.” Sakura’s jaw clenched, and she stood a hesitant step forward. “Training?” She called out, watching as Temari seemingly ignored her as she walked. Sakura huffed, leaning back against the pillar as she nibbled her bottom lip. She hoped Temari wouldn’t force her to fight anyone; she wasn’t a pacifist by any means, but the thought of her having to wield a weapon  _ seriously _ , and fight  _ seriously _ , felt unsettling. 

Although Sakura missed Ino and  Tenten , their time away gave her a chance to drown herself in her studies; she finished up the herbalism book easy enough, and had dug deep into their library to find more books that could perhaps be useful. It had taken some time, but Sakura had scraped up a variety of books mainly on geography and clan history. She was pleasantly surprised by how well done the geography of the land had been laid out, and with Temari’s permission, she was allowed to keep the book with her until she became more familiar with the terrain. According to the book, there were a handful of different lands, with Land of Fire situated south-east, but with lands that stretched into the middle of the continent. It was characterized by its large forests , sharp ravines,  and winding rivers with warm weather and a bright sun. Temari had told her that the temple was situated close to the capital, Konoha, which took about five days of traveling on foot. Sakura couldn’t resist asking why they were known as the Land of Fire, as the book didn’t mention the reasoning at all; the terrain didn’t do much to convince Sakura, either. Temari hummed her a response, something mischievous glittering behind her eyes. 

She was also pleased to find the book briefly discussed the topic of creatures to each native region as well. There were, of course, the generic birds and deer, but it hadn’t crossed Sakura’s mind that there could be  _ other _ things as well. The book detailed large wolves, towering six feet talk, who was said that they could clear forests in minutes. When Sakura asked if it was true, Temari had given her a half-smirk, telling her to read about the  Inuzuka Clan; it seemed that Temari was going to be of no help as Sakura went about learning the world. Sakura moved on from the wolves, making a mental note of the clan name for later. Besides them, it discussed owls with three eyes, bears with claws that could level clearings, and insects that carried poison which could kill within minutes. Sakura silently hoped most of the animals discussed were simply exaggerations, but had a twisting feeling in her gut they weren't. 

Sakura found information on the clans the most interesting. It was generally vague, but allowed her knowledge that she had a feeling would suit her well down the line. After all, it seemed important to recognize the top clans of the land. There were hundreds of clans, many small ones scattered about, but only  six that seemed to have royalty status in the Land of Fire: Inuzuka, Nara, Yamanaka, Uzumaki, Hyuga, Akimichi, and Aburame . Surprisingly, both the Senju and Uchiha were listed, which Sakura would’ve thought were perhaps taboo; perhaps it was to appease the two god clans, and not upset them for not being included? It seemed a bit petty, but then again, Sakura had a feeling that that wouldn’t stop them. The Senju and Uchiha clans were kept separate but at the top, clearly for their status, but as Sakura searched the book, she found no information on them listed. Perhaps another precaution on behalf of the writer.

The first she read about were the  Inuzuka , as Temari had hinted to them earlier. They were a clan who could apparently communicate with different animals, but had a fondness with the wolves of the land; over time, an unusual treaty formed between the two, and now the  Inuzuka live in harmony with these wild beasts, fighting alongside them as brothers. They were described as one of the strongest clans in the land, wielding royalty status despite them living deep in the forests and in caves. They were said to be savage and ruthless, excellent fighters who wouldn’t stop until they or their enemy died. However, they were extremely loyal, and if one found themselves in their favor, it was rumored that the beasts of the land wouldn’t bother you.

Next, she read about the Nara, another powerful clan who lived on the edges of Konoha, owning a large section of the forest. They were seen as brilliant strategists and peerless leaders, and although they did their best work outside of the view of war, they were still powerful warriors who shouldn’t be trifled with. The details were a bit vague, but there was a mention of their shadow-weaving capabilities, and were the only mortals to be born with an innate ability to control the shadows. In the forest that the Nara owned, it was considered protected land, where only the Nara were allowed to ever enter; if you were lucky enough to allowed to enter, you would be greeted with an unusual amount of deer, which the Nara are believed to be akin to.

The most powerful, in more ways than one, were the  Hyuga . They were the current rulers of Konoha, but as a clan, they just about rivaled the city’s power. Sakura was surprised by the lack of details on the clan, despite the boasting the book had done for them; she assumed the  Hyuga kept much of their interests and abilities under tight wraps. However, it did discuss the single physical attribute that set them apart from the rest of the world: their eyes. There was some variety between them, however, most are characterized by their featureless white eyes, with some having pale lavender or other pastel purples mixed in. 

Sakura read about the  Aburame next, but found their household a bit unsettling. They were a bit similar to the  Inuzuka , being able to communicate with insects, but allowed different species to live inside them. She visibly shuddered at the thought of allowing any kind of bug to enter her body and live there, and found herself quickly skipping to the next family:  Akimichi . They were described as being the most lenient of the clans, securing their status, but often staying out of the affairs of others. They were characterized by being a heavier weight, having (and being) the best cooks in the area. The  Akimichi were often the ones in charge of festivals and other gatherings. Unsurprisingly, they were also known for their inhumane strength, and were terrifying in close combat.

The Yamanaka clan aligned similar to that of the Nara’s, finding their strength more in research, spying, and information gathering; they had previously been a clan of assassins, but had retired that career many years ago. The Yamanaka had an affinity for torture, and worked closely with Konoha’s intel division, and dealt with most of the prisoners or war criminals that came their way. There were rumors that the clan also worked on the protection of the village, guarding the walls, but it had never been confirmed. The Yamanaka possessed an ability to “read minds” and “see the truth in people”, but didn’t explain how this gift worked, or any more details besides that. 

Lastly, there were the Uzumaki, who somehow managed to be even vaguer than the Hyuga. They were nomadic, but a large group had moved to the Land of Fire after their home had mysteriously vanished. They had notable red hair, and little seemed known about their clan abilities. Nonetheless, they were considered a rich bloodline, and their presence demanded respect.

Sakura laid in bed that night, thinking hard about all the information she had taken in that day. It was nice she had a general image of the landscape, a rough estimate to their current location, and she was sure information on the clans would be helpful. If anything, perhaps to just know to avoid them. Sakura closed her heavy eyes, feeling sleep nipping at her welcomingly. Distantly, she wondered if these clans, as powerful as they were described, would have any sort of idea about how she could possibly return home. She almost snorted at the thought, but chose to let out a heavy sigh instead, sleep overcoming her.

Today would be the last day without Ino and Tenten, if Sakura had counted her days correctly. She was giddy, excited for her friends to finally return home; she was also excited to hear about their travels, and if Temari would allow it, more of their mission. She spent of the beginning of the day in the kitchen, working alongside a shockingly tall woman named Keo, who had dark blue eyes and long brown hair that had been braided back out of her face. She was stern, but had a motherly aura that Sakura found comforting. Keo did her best to teach Sakura the basics of cooking, but Sakura silently guessed that this was merely an excuse for an extra set of hands. Either way, she had been grateful for a refresher course in the kitchen, especially with so many new ingredients she had never used before.

After lunch, two girls, brunette twins with matching dark eyes, had shown her to the infirmary room. Sakura was surprised to find it to be such a large space, immediately recognized the room she had been resting in when she first came to. Now that she was awake, and not near death, Sakura was able to take in the whole room to its glory. It had high ceilings, similar to the rest of the temple, with four pillars near the center of the room. In the middle was a small, rectangular pool, which looked only to be about three feet deep. The rest of the room was littered with cots, all systematically aligned, which were about two feet from the floor, with 2 large wooden benches pressed on opposite walls of each other, left and right of the entrance. “This is the main room, but there’s another space in the back,” one of the girls said, grabbing Sakura by the hand and guiding her towards the left corner of the room. 

The two rooms were separated by a white cloth, nearly concealing the extra room. Sakura was surprised to find the other room was well stocked; to her left, there was a small area sectioned off by room dividers, which held a slightly larger cot inside (Sakura assumed this was meant to be the “surgery room”) that was nearly pressed against the wall. On the other side of the dividers, almost to the immediate left of the dividers, was a worn, wooden desk, that was empty except for a few unlit candles. On the wall directly opposite of the door she was in, and consequently the cot, there were shelves stocked with glass jars full of different herbs and liquids. There were three rows with three shelves, a small break in the middle, which instead held what appeared to be a brewing stand and another empty, wooden table, before resuming the shelves. Underneath the shelves were two chests, both sitting opposite of the brewing stand. Lastly, there was a large wardrobe of sorts, which the girls encouraged her to open. 

She was astonished to see the inside of it be so well-stocked. The shelves on the inside were meticulously organized, filled with thread and needles, something akin to scalpels, different cloths, gauzes, and bandages, as well as spare sheets on the bottom shelf. Sakura closed the wardrobe carefully, moving confidentially over to the chests, where she found them to be stocked with empty beakers, a few more enclosed jars with what she  _ hoped _ was water, and a few more utensils that Sakura assumed had something to do with alchemy. It was a lot to take in, but Sakura couldn’t help but smile as she closed the chests up and spun slowly to size up the room. It was by far nowhere close to what she was used to her in her world, and yet, it was quite advanced—far more then Sakura had anticipated it to be. She found it even odder that many doctors didn’t exist in this world, since it seemed there was some general understanding of healing. A bit of pride swelled in her chest as she was able to recognize a few of the herbs in the jars, making her smile only grow more. “All to your liking, I hope?” 

Sakura turned to Temari, nodding quickly. “I can’t believe how nice it is, if I'm being honest,” Sakura felt a bit of warmth spread to her cheeks, pulling a small strand of her pink hair. “We had a doctor long ago. She was insistent on... well, all of it,” Temari said with a smile, eyes moving slowly around the room. “It does not see much use now, though. We keep a lot of our bandages more near the front in case of combat,” she said with a shrug. Sakura nodded. It made sense; if there was some kind of attack, you wouldn’t want to sprint through the temple to grab bandages or anything. Sakura found the idea a bit gruesome, though; she knew that after bandaging, the girls probably ran back out, laying their life on the line for the temple. She shook her head, trying to shake the thoughts of the bodies that weren’t there. “They must’ve really known their stuff,” Sakura hummed, breaking the tension in her own head. She wondered who it could’ve been, what they looked like, if they had also been a priestess. “Yes,” Temari said flatly, lips pressing into a line, “she was.” 

She resisted the urge to slap herself across the face, deciding to just do it mentally. It had been such a dumb, simple slip up. If the woman had been a doctor here, there was no way she would’ve just left on her will; Sakura understood very well the loyalty the priestesses had. If she wasn’t here anymore, she was dead. She bit her lip, wondering the best way to defuse the situation, but Temari spoke first. “It will become a home to you very fast, I’m sure,” she said with a quick wave of her hand. “I’ve come to inform you that your training will begin here shortly, though. Please come with me,” Temari cooed, turning to exit the room, leaving a gawking Sakura behind. A few heartbeats past before Sakura quickly followed her out, her anxiety now peaking for a whole new reason.

Although Sakura had been given a tour of the temple previously, it seemed there had been a lot of places that had been left out. She followed Temari to the opposite side of the temple, entering what appeared to be a weapons room. “I thought you preferred to train outside?” Sakura asked, eyeing the weapons decorating the wall. “Yes,” she said simply, walking over to a set of hung swords. She eyed each one carefully before walking to the chest next to them, and pulling out  an eight-inch knife. She turned to Sakura, raising her eyebrows. “Are you saying you wish to spar with them already?” Sakura frantically shook her head, “Oh, no, I didn’t mean--” Temari’s sharp laugh made her lips shut tight, straightening her back with pink cheeks. “It would not be fair to you, or your partner, to spar quite yet.”

Temari turned her body towards Sakura, pointing the knife at her. “Before one can learn to attack, one should learn to defend.” Sakura stared at the knife, her eyes darting quickly from it back to Temari, and then back at it again. Was she supposed to just run and dodge? Block and disarm? She had taken some classes on self-defense in the past, even dabbled in kickboxing when she was in middle school, but this seemed beyond her basic levels. “Do not fret, I will show the basics,” Temari said, letting the hand that held the knife fall to her side. “Now, shall we begin?”

The training session lasted four hours, three more than Sakura had expected. The first thing they tell you when you start at the gym was to make sure you don’t overdo it, and give yourself time to recover afterward. Temari sorely disagreed.  They had begun by stretching, Temari making sure that every muscle got at least a little attention. As they stretched, the blonde took it upon herself to become acquainted with Sakura’s body, and was pleasantly surprised to see muscle definition hiding underneath the white fabrics. Sakura was silently praising herself for forcing herself to go to the gym all of those times, as now it seemed to be working in her favor. Unfortunately, it had been a while since Sakura had been to any gym, and knew she would have to work to make her muscles as strong as they were. Minus her legs, which seemed to still be in peak shape.

After the stretches, Temari how showed her basic self-defense stances, showing her a variety of ways for her to utilize strength, speed, and momentum to protect herself. She had pointed a knife at Sakura’s face, and when she instinctively raised her hands to block it, Temari sliced her stomach. The pain was instant, making Sakura gasp and stumbling back. As Temari had bandaged up the shallow, small cut, she explained that one has to always be wary of different openings. Sakura would do her best to never make that mistake again. The last hour of the training was perhaps the most brutal; it consisted mainly of Temari nearly beating her for a solid sixty minutes, the priestess dancing smoothly around Sakura who had tried to do her very best to guard herself. Temari found every weakness, sweeping her legs against Sakura’s ankles, sending her onto her back; grabbing her arms and flipping her, mercilessly hitting and jabbing all over her. By the end of it, Sakura was covered in bruises, and was beyond sore. “You have much to learn, but it’ll come with time.”

Sakura had limped back to her room, deciding that going to sleep early would be the best for her broken body. If she was being honest, she didn’t feel like she took anything away from the activity, but knew that it was best to keep that to herself. Sakura curled into a ball under the sheets, her thoughts recounting the training lesson over and over. It was clear that Temari wanted her to be aware of her weak points, and to always be on guard, but surely there was something else hiding in there too? Sakura’s vision began to blur as sleep crept on her, and before she realized, she had passed out in her bed.

The sound of talking stirred her from her sleep, voices that sounded oddly familiar, and yet she couldn’t place them. She opened her eyes slowly, the world around her dark, signifying dark. She scrunched her nose, closing her eyes to see maybe she could just fall back asleep; as her eyes shut, the voices became shockingly close, and Sakura found herself sitting up abruptly, scanning her room. Her heart thumped in her throat, and she clenched the blankets tightly—the voices she was here were clearly male, and as far as Sakura knew, there were no men at this temple. Sakura sat in her bed for another thirty minutes, rigid and unmoving, but no voices ever came. Hesitantly, she laid back down, but despite her heavy eyes and her sore body, she found it hard to close her eyes and sleep. 

Sakura wasn’t as startled to hear the voices this time, her eyes eventually giving in and shutting on their own accord. She took in the voices carefully, trying to discern what they were saying, but found they all sounded muffled and, despite the volume, distant. The only thing she could confirm was that it was absolutely coming from her room, but there was no one there—Sakura’s gut turned as she realized where the voices were probably coming for. That damn, cursed book just couldn’t let up it seemed. Sakura flung her blanket off, shuddering at the cold that settled on her, and slid off the bed. Her legs wobbled beneath her weight, still hurt from earlier, but Sakura swallowed it down. She crept through the room, walking to where the book was secured in her backpack, relishing the newly founded silence. 

The book looked untouched despite all the adventures and hell it had seen. There was no water damage from the river, but Sakura had learned not to be surprised by this immortal book anymore. Nonetheless, Sakura sucked in air as she gently lifted it, feeling the warmth radiating from it. Under her fingers, she could feel a steady pulsing, similar to a heartbeat. She swallowed her, thumbing the edge of the cover, wordlessly second-guessing herself. She swallowed the doubt inside, opening the book cautiously. She winced at the light it emitted, her eyes too adjusted to the dark, and blinked slowly as her vision refocused.  _ Do you remember?  _ A voice whispered to her, startling Sakura, causing the book to slip from her hands. She shook herself, quickly snatching up the book again, staring at its empty, glowing pages. “Who are you?” She hissed, gripping the book tightly.

The air in the room felt heavy, weighing down on an already exhausted Sakura. As the voice spoke, it sent ripples around her, the air lightening at the entity's words:  _ Memory can be so... fickle, for mortals _ . Sakura wanted to shake the book, perhaps even give it another trial by fire, but she instead found her death gripping getting tighter as she glared down. Her jaw locked, grinding her teeth as she contemplated what to say. “What do you want from me?” She finally asked after a long moment, her sturdy grip beginning to shake.  _ It was not me who brought you here,  _ the voice cooed. “Then why can’t I get rid of you?” Sakura asked, her voice barely above a whisper. The voice gave a soft, curious hum, perhaps thinking. After another minute of no answer, it finally spoke again:  _ Rest now, child.  _ As the last word was uttered, the warmth from the book ceased, and the glow folded into itself, leaving the plain book she recognized from before. “Bastard,” she mumbled, blinking rapidly as tears threatened for spill over.

The next morning came far too fast, the room filled with a soft light as someone opened her door to peer inside. She opened her eyes slowly, her limbs heavy and unmoving. She grumbled something, forcing her eyes open to look and see who stood in the doorway. She shot up quickly, Ino grinning back at her, eyes playful and lively. “I thought you might be dead,” Ino teased, wrapping Sakura into a warm embrace. “I feel like it,” she replied, her laugh muffled against Ino’s shoulder. “We heard you trained with Temari last night,” she said, pulling Sakura back to eye her. “If I had known, I would have said something sooner. Apologies,” Ino laughed. “I’m surprised you’re not that badly beaten up. The girls told me you got decimated.” Sakura scrunched her nose, turning from Ino and walking over to the mirror hung on the wall. She had gotten her ass handed to her, but as she looked in the mirror, most of the bruises were absent. Without thinking, she stripped her kimono off, peeling back the bandages gently to see no cut on her stomach. 

Ino tilted her head curiously, taking a spot next to her, watching Sakura through the mirror. “What’s wrong?” Ino asked, her eyes now on the curious bandage. “Well, I looked a lot worse yesterday,” she mumbled, her fingers dancing across her smooth skin. Ino shrugged, looking unbothered. “Perhaps you have an affinity with earth?” Sakura turned, her eyebrows raising. “It’s a rare affinity, at least in the Land of Fire, but those with earth affinity are said to have a natural healing trait.” Sakura frowned, closing her kimono back up. “I have no idea.” Ino just laughed, spinning on her heels to leave. “Maybe a god has taken a special interesting in you?” She teased, smirking as Sakura fervently shook her head. Sakura couldn’t help but think back to  Sasuke , who had tried to wipe her  existence off the face of the planet. The only god she had met had wanted to kill her.

Ino and Sakura met up with  Tenten not long later, the girls converging in the small dining hall.  Tenten had a hell of a bruise below her eye, but quickly dismissed Sakura’s concerns. “It was my mistake, and besides, it doesn’t hurt that much,” she had insisted, grasping Sakura’s wrists to prevent the girl from fussing too much. They ate breakfast together, Sakura reveling in her missed companions. She was finally told about what their mission had been about, too, which delighted Sakura even more. “The village had reported a demon lurking in a nearby cave, killing their livestock at night. We were asked to investigate it,”  Tenten started, taking a large bite of fish. “Animals die all the time, even under village protection. We assumed it had been a beast of some kind, but after seeing the corpses, we agreed it wasn’t just some wolf.” Sakura listened intently, the thought of a demon not sitting well with her, but the girls spoke so lightly of it, and she decided not to mention it for now.

“We waited until night, and then waited near the edge of the cave to see if the demon would come out,” Ino paused, a grin cascading over her face, “he did.” Ino took a long sip of water, relishing in Sakura’s burning gaze before continuing. “He was ugly, but that was to be expected,” Ino scrunched her nose at the memory, while  Tenten could only laugh. “He had sickly grey skin, with horns jutting out across his body. His cheeks were hollow, and his eyes were a seaweed green color. He snarled at us, showing us his fangs. He was probably just trying to size us up, though,”  Tenten followed up, resting her forearms against the table and leaning forward. “He used a sickle of sorts, swinging it wildly. No form whatsoever,” Ino snorted, rolling her eyes. “He was slippery, but not much of a threat otherwise. He landed a sneak attack when we thought he was down, which is why...” Ino gestured towards  Tenten , who frowned. “A dumb mistake,” she said pointedly. 

A comfortable silence fell between the girls as they finished up their food, Sakura using the time to mull over her thoughts. She felt like she shouldn’t be surprised that there happened to be demons in this world; after all, there were gods, giant wolves, and other unusual creatures. Her thoughts flickered to the previous night where she had  _ talked to a book _ , Sakura scrunching her nose at the memory. Despite her best efforts to understand this world better, as she learned something new, another twenty mysteries presented themselves. Perhaps the training would be good for her after all? She had been hesitant, but knowing that demons and probably a whole lot of other things lurking about made Sakura’s gut twist. 

Temari’s presence at the end of their table drew the girl's attention towards her. Ino and  Tenten exchanged quick glances before sighing, Sakura shifting in her seat. “Sorry to disturb you so suddenly,” Temari said smoothly, folding her arms under her chest. “I know you have both just returned home a few hours ago, but I need you to head out again,” Temari sighed, closing her eyes for a split second. The trio were quiet for a moment, but  Tenten was the first to speak. “Understood. Where are we heading?” She asked, standing from the table. Temari’s face hardened, her lips turning into a frown. “Konoha.” Ino gaped at her, and  Tenten hissed something under her breath. Temari’s eyes floated down to Sakura, her gaze hard. “You will be going with them as well,” she told her, breaking the tension a bit by giving her a small smile. “It’s not ideal, but we have no choice,” Temari shook her head, clearly frustrated. “The Nara asked for our help specifically,” she concluded. Sakura could feel the girls around her stiffen, her own response automatically mimicking it. If Temari was asking them to go, especially since Ino and  Tenten had just returned, it must be something serious. “Why I am going?” Sakura blurted out, clearly puzzled. “I believe your... expertise, will do well on this trip.”

The girls followed Temari back to her room,  Tenten making sure to close the door behind them as they entered an office-like area. Ino moved to a dresser, pulling out three identical sets of clothing, handing one to both  Tenten and herself, while keeping one for her own.  Tenten and Ino made quick work to change, dropping their normal white kimono for the new clothes. The new outfit had two main pieces: there was a white keikogi, similar to what modern day kendo uniform was, but was notably thinner and smooth. The bottoms were simple Hakama, with Ino’s being a dark purple color,  Tenten’s being green, and her own being red. They made sure to tuck in their tops, completing off their uniforms with a black obi tied into a bow in front. The uniforms only helped reinforce the thought this mission must be something important, if not deadly. Sakura swallowed hard.

“The Nara clan informed me that there has been a... disturbance in the city. They believed it to be some kind of intruder, but this morning the Nara found numerous dead deer within their forest. There were no injuries that they could find, and their barriers didn’t indicate that anyone had entered the forest.” Temari crossed her arms across her chest, frowning. “The other clans have had similar problems. They believed them all to be unrelated, but now they believe there might be a connection.” Temari closed her eyes, leaning against the wall as she hummed. “Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?” She asked, voice low. Ino and  Tenten nodded, sharing similar frowns. “An infestation.” Ino hissed, her eyes narrowing. “If it’s bold enough to attack the head clans, it’s safe to assume this isn’t some mere demon.” Temari nodded once towards Sakura,  Tenten and Ino glancing towards her. “She will come as your medic, if need be. I do not feel comfortable sending her onto the field yet, but unfortunately, we don’t have a choice...” Temari let out a low hum, her eyes raking of Sakura. “But I also have a theory...” Ino and  Tenten shared unsure glances, but said nothing. 

“I believe Sakura's presence, along with two advanced priestesses, will draw out whatever demon is there. Demons can sense disturbances, and will undoubtedly sense that Sakura is out of place here.” Ino was the first to speak up, her voice harsh and loud. “ So she’s bait?” Ino snapped, glaring daggers at Temari. “As an unintended side-effect, yes.” Temari quickly replied, waving off the fuming blonde. “I believe she will be safe in your hands, though. You three will be staying with the Nara as well, and they’re efficient demon hunters on their own. Sakura will be safe.” Ino didn’t look so sure, but  Tenten nodded. “I wouldn’t let anything hurt her,” she said matter-of-factly, Sakura’s heartwarming. She wasn’t too thrilled with being bait, but it seemed it was inevitable. “It’ll be fine,” Sakura finally spoke, smiling softly. She wouldn’t back down now; besides, if she could survive an  _ Uchiha _ trying to kill her, certainly she could outrun some demon. 

The girls exited to their rooms before they would depart, being told they had a short window to gather their belongings before they left. Temari gave Sakura spare bag to carry, which she was grateful for; the idea of lugging around her oddly placed backpack seemed like a bad idea. As Sakura folded a spare white kimono, she pondered what other items to bring. Quite honestly, she didn’t have much to her name. She decided to bring the herbalism and geography book with her, and after much mental arguing, also tucked the cursed book in-between them. She stopped in the hidden medical room, taking a healthy number of bandages, some needles and thread, and some crushed herbs that she had recognized previously. 

Sakura exited the temple, Ino and  Tenten waiting at the bottom of the steps for her. She knew it was about to be a long five days, if not longer, to Konoha. She let out a sigh, tucking her hair behind her ear. Ino smiled, beckoning her forward. “Your hair will get in the way if you don’t pull it back,” she said, drawing Sakura’s pink strands into her hands, tying a thin red string to form a low pony. Sakura was surprised by how long her hair had already grown, with it now brushing against her shoulders. She would have to cut it soon—she hadn’t had long hair since middle school, and wouldn’t start now, especially since long hair usually meant more maintenance.  Tenten handed her a bag of what looked to be rations, which Sakura neatly tucked into the bag that hung across her chest.

The girls started off, Ino immediately grumbling about how tired her legs were already, whining about how they had to leave around. Sakura listened to the banter between  TenTen and Ino, laughing as she walked slightly behind them. She had missed them, and although she was nervous about this trip, she was also happy that she had been allowed to go. She might go insane at the temple without them.  Tenten informed her that it would be about a day of walking before they reached a path, but once they did, it was a straight shot to the large village. They planned on stopping only three times before reaching the capital, but knew that Sakura wasn’t used to the travel, and could adjust if she needed it; not wanting to feel like a burden, Sakura dismissed it easily. 

After three days, Sakura regretted her decision to power through it. Her body was stiff and heavy, and her eyes threatened to shut permanently with every blink. They still had two days left, with only one last planned stop before pushing through the rest of the trip. Sakura was ready to collapse, but did her damn best to stay with the rest of the group. If she let up at all, she would certainly fall asleep standing, and she had promised herself to not slow them down. “Sakura, are you sure you’re okay?” Ino laughed, nudging her gently. Sakura gave a sleepy half-smile, nodding. “I’m good, just really tired, but don’t worry about it,” Sakura mumbled, shaking her head to try and wake herself.  Tenten laughed, glancing up at the sky. “We can probably stop now, if you’d like. We can rest until tomorrow.” Sakura opened her mouth to insist they keep going, but a yawn broke out first. They decided to settle down for the night.

They set up camp a bit off the path,  Tenten wrapping a small section of trees with wire before draping a patterned cloth over it. The pattern had different kanji written on it, but it was nothing Sakura had seen before; she scrunched her nose, leaning closer to inspect the odd design. “It’s a ward,”  Tenten laughed, straightening the last one. “If anything were to come near, it would activate to tell us.” Sakura hummed, taking the cloth gently in her hand. She wondered if it actually worked. Ino made a small circle with rocks in the middle, dumping small branches and leaves into the center, lighting it instantly. The fire would burn out before the dead of night, but she knew the girls planned it this way; they didn’t want to give anyone who happened to be passing by the incentive to inspect the light. Sakura leaned against a tree, the fire giving her a very much welcomed warmth. As her head leaned against the tree, she almost instantly dozed off.

Sakura awoke in the middle of the night, using her one arm to prop herself up. Ino and  Tenten were asleep, Ino curled into a ball against a trunk, and  Tenten with her back against a tree opposite of her, her head dipping just a bit forward. The fire had long since gone out, but Sakura found herself still warm and content. She slid off her bag, digging inside until she pulled out the  _ of _ _ -course _ glowing book. It radiated the same warmth it had previously, but this time, Sakura felt nothing stirring from within. She brought it to her chest, the book’s warmth sinking into her body, an unusual solace from an otherwise hated item. Sakura closed her eyes, lulling back into a deep sleep.

The next morning came fast, but Sakura felt rejuvenated enough to continue on. Sleeping nearly all day and night had restored her energy, although she was grumpy from having to sleep on the hard ground. The girls made quick work of the camp,  Tenten pocketing her wards and thread, while Ino kicked the rocks and scattered the ashes. They were back on the normal path soon enough, Sakura stretching her arms high above her head. “You look much better now,”  Tenten teased, poking the vulnerable side as Sakura stretched. She yelped, jumping from the finger, pouting at Ino and  Tenten’s giggles. “Hopefully I can manage the next two days...” she sighed, crossing her arms under her chest. “If we get close enough, we could always carry you,” Ino winked. “You think you could carry me for a whole day?” Sakura snorted, rolling her eyes. “Of course,”  Tenten answered quickly, giving a short wave. Sakura looked dumbfounded, eventually shaking her head.

They fell quiet for only a few minutes before Ino’s quiet hum broke it. “There was actually something I wanted to ask you about, but never got the chance,” she started, glancing back towards Sakura. “I didn’t want to bother you as soon as you got back, and well, then we had a mission...” Ino pouted, and  Tenten nodded quickly, understanding what she must be curious about. “I, well honestly,  _ we _ , wanted to know what happened in the forest.” Ino finally said, smiling brightly at Sakura. Sakura felt a small blush form on her cheeks, but quickly waved it off. “Ah, well, it wasn’t too eventful...” She started, a small smile gracing her lips as she looked towards the ground. “Most of my time was spent walking forward, and I used the knife  Tenten’s knife to mark trees so I could find my way back.” 

Tenten beamed at her, grinning widely, proud that Sakura had been so smart, but said nothing to let her continue her story. “I did get lost at some point, though--” Sakura passed, squinting her eyes as she tried to recall what had happened that night. She  _ knew _ something had happened, but the more she tried to focus her thoughts, the blurrier the memories became. She furrowed her brow, closing her mouth in thought. Ino nudged her on, and Sakura quickly laughed it off. “Sorry, I'm trying to just remember it all,” she shrugged, trying to play it off as the panic increased inside her. There were flashes of light, a mix of orange and yellow dancing together; she could see darkness looming in the distant, leaves flying around her. She opened her mouth to speak again, but struggled to find the words. The memories were there, she was certain, but so vague and distant, and no matter how much she clawed at them they wouldn’t come forward. It felt like someone was holding them, purposely suppressing them. Sakura glanced between Ino and Tenten, hoping her face didn’t betray her anxiety. “It was just, it was so dark, I couldn’t even see the marks I left. I had to grope each tree,” she lied, a sloppy smile trying to hide her fears.

The girls accepted it easily, laughing with her. Sakura sighed in relief, but fell quiet for the remainder of the walk.  _ Do you remember? _ A voice called out to her, echoing deep in her mind, that Sakura chose to ignore. Had it been a taunt after all? Was it the voice that sucked away her memories? She frowned, easily recounting previous events from her life before this. No, she remembered everything else, but that night had become a blur in her thoughts. She felt a sense of loss, feeling like something had been ripped from her. She also couldn’t help but feel like she had forgotten about someone important.

The rest of the walk, Sakura tried her best to stay cheery and appear unfazed. She was thankful the girls didn’t seem to register anything different; Sakura had become an expert at swallowing her emotions, hiding behind small smiles and glazed eyes. The two-day trek was long, but she found herself preoccupied with thoughts of that night in the forest. She began to whittle away at the barrier between her and her own memories, but any progress she made trying to recount the night was quickly washed away, leaving her with the all to present emptiness. Sakura stopped next to Ino and  Tenten , her eyes widening as she took in the large wall ahead of them. “We’re here,” Ino chirping, clapping her hands together. “Thank goodness, I’m exhausted,”  Tenten mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck with a pout. “We will check in with the Nara clan first and rest up. We won’t be able to do anything until night time, anyways.”  Tenten followed up, the girls closing the gap between them and the inside.

A handful of guards were stationed outside; they glared as the girls approached, but after noting their outfits, especially lingering on Ino, they were allowed to pass without a problem. Ino stood tall, taking the lead to guide the girls past the guards. When they were out of sight of the guards,  Tenten leaned closer to Sakura. “Ino hails from a powerful clan here,” she whispered, smiling as Ino frowned. “Which one?” Sakura asked, raising her eyebrows. “Yamanaka,” Ino said with a hard sigh. “Oh, I read about them!” Sakura gleamed, grinning at Ino, who could only sigh again. “They weren’t too happy when I told them I didn’t want to follow in the family’s footsteps, though.”  Tenten laughed, giving Ino a playful push. “Well, we’re here on business, so don’t worry too much about it. They know better than to interfere with us.”

The  Nara’s main household was large, made from a dark, almost black wood; the outside was lined with high cobblestone walls, intricate designs peppered across, similar to the ones she had seen  Tenten placing. There were a handful of smaller buildings surrounding it, with people moving about them freely, carrying different supplies to and  fro . There was a man waiting in front of the gate, leaning casually against it when the girls approached him. Even when they stopped in front of them, he remained casual, giving them a half wave for a greeting. He stood, shoving his hands into his pockets, and started towards the main house, the girls hot on his heels. Sakura glanced around at the houses as they passed, noting that many of them seemed to be different businesses. It seemed that, despite being a clan’s land, they had still opened shops on the inner grounds, allowing anyone to come and buy. 

They were led straight to the main house, the man sliding the door open and gesturing for the girls to enter. Inside, they made quick work to slip off their thin sandals but carried them to their room. “Since it seems like the majority of the problems are in the forest, we decided to house you in one right on the edge,” the man said, guiding them through the winding halls until they approached another set of sliding door. Sakura let out a small gasp as he ushered them out of the house, exiting into a large garden area. After another short walk, they met a tunnel. The other side revealed the rest of the houses, all varying sizes, and lengths, but none that matched the one they had just came from; Sakura had thought the front was busy but was shocked to see the number of people on the other side. The sun was warm against her skin, and she glanced back to see the walls of Konoha behind them.

No one paid any mind to the priestesses, all tending to their own businesses; it was a stark contrast to what she was used to. The last time she had been guided through a village, everyone watched her like a hawk. Here, it was as if she was invisible. As the trees grew closer, the man took a sudden turn, leading them behind a building. On the other side, clearly separate from the rest of the houses, was a hut that was built within the first section of trees. “That’ll be your house, until everything is... situated. All of your needed  amenities should be inside. We will have someone bring food to you.” 

“Thank you,” Ino said, the man giving a short nod before turning and leaving them. They entered the house, Sakura stripping her satchel off and placing it against the wall. Ino and  Tenten were quick to set up sigils and wards, hanging up a variety of cloth and paper around the house. Sakura found herself laying out three futons that had been wrapped tightly and laid against the wall, putting them in a triangle fashion so they would all be able to see each other. When the girls were satisfied, they each claimed a futon, Sakura unable to resist the urge to nuzzle into the soft material. It was so much better than dirt. Ino stretched, while  Tenten pulled out a kunai and spun it between her fingers. “We should try and rest now,” Ino started, laying down on her side, propping her head up with her arm. “If it were to become  active tonight, we will need to be ready.” 

Sakura hummed, pulling out her books to absently flip through them. “What are you looking for, exactly?” She asked, her eyes fixated on  Tenten , who was scrubbing the kunai with a cloth. “It’s a bit complicated,”  Tenten said, not bothering to look up. “An infestation usually means there’s multiple sources of evil. That, or one large, dangerous entity.” 

“Sometimes it’s a collection of lost spirits, their presence causing unintended side-effects.” Ino added, covering her mouth as she yawned. “It’s possible it’s something else entirely, though. That’s what makes it so difficult. It's also hard to pinpoint the source, which is why...” Ino frowned, staring at the books in Sakura’s hands. “Which is why we have to lure it out, right?” Sakura filled in, acting unbothered. Ino nodded, sighing quietly. “It’s not preferred, but yes.” There was a soft knock on the door, followed by two young women entering; they carried trays filled with food, setting them down by the doorway before making their leave. Ino eyed  Tenten , but seeing as she was still absorbed in wiping the already pristine-looking weapon, got up to pass out the food. “After we eat and sleep, we will head into the Nara’s forest and see what we can find,” Ino said, taking a bowl of rice and scooping a large portion into her mouth. 

After eating,  Tenten collected the bowls and set them on the trays, setting them in front of the door outside. Ino had already curled up on the futon, and when  Tenten gently prodded her with her foot, confirmed had already blacked out. Sakura and  Tenten exchanged glances, both covering their mouths to stifle their giggles. “Sleep well, Sakura,”  Tenten whispered, following closely behind Ino. Sakura smiled, watching the two girls from her own futon. The sun was still high in the sky, but minimal light filtered in. Despite having to walk for those two days, Sakura felt restless, anxious for what was to come. She hoped she could be of some use to them, but more so, she hoped to just not get in the way. Whatever was to come... Sakura prayed to whatever god that existed, asking them to protect everyone. Behind her, the book glowed, warmth filling the room as Sakura allowed herself to doze off.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! This chapter is a bit shorter, so I'm sorry about that; however, I'm hoping that means the next one will come out faster. In two weeks I'll be going on vacation, but I'm going to try super hard and get a chapter out before I leave. If not, well... oops.
> 
> BTW, some of the dialogue may sometimes be a bit weird/unnatural. that's my lame ass attempt to make it obvious they're from a different time. however, im pretty bad at it, so it might just come out......... out of place, lol.

Sakura was the last to wake up, which she only did begrudgingly because of Ino’s insistence. It felt unnatural to be awake at this time, the dead of night; the moon was already climbing high into the starless sky, lighting up the now dark homes and walkways. She stretched, mumbling something incoherently, forcing herself to her knees and crawling towards her bag. Ino and  Tenten were nearly ready, finishing stashing an alarming number of weapons under their clothes; Sakura only had her satchel, which she even wondered if she should bring with. It didn’t have much, and most would probably be useless—in the end, she decided to leave the books (although keeping the cursed book; she didn’t want to pull it out and raise more questions, she told herself) and a few of the herbs. 

It was unusual walking past the houses; the hustle and bustle of early were all but absent now, with only the soft rustling of leaves filling the void of noise. Sakura situated herself between Ino and  Tenten , one hand absently clutching the sling to her satchel as her eyes hovered over the forest. There was only one clear path into the forest, but Ino told them after a bit of way, the path eventually halts and leaves nothing but forest. 

The trio stopped for a moment in front of the clearing, staring into darkness before them;  the waxing gibbous moon was high in the sky, and although it had done well in lighting up the earth, the thick canopy of leaves prevented much of its light from penetrating.  Tenten gave Sakura a quick, reassuring look before taking the lead and entering the forest, with Ino and Sakura quick on her heels. The instantaneous  tenebrosity also brought a coolness that made goosebumps appear on her arms and neck, but she gave herself a quick shake and pretended to not notice it. The path was surprisingly spacious, able to fit the three girls that walked shoulder to shoulder easily, but unlit and a bit of a struggle to map. She was grateful to be in the middle, guided carefully by her friends; if she was alone, she was sure she would’ve already tripped of managed to stumble off the path.

“I should warn you, Sakura,” Ino began, her eyes trained ahead of them. “You may see some... unpleasant things.”

Sakura frowned, but nodded; although she felt like she had been through hell and back already, she knew she had barely touched the surface of what this world had to offer. The books were proof alone in that. She wondered, briefly, if they would encounter a demon on this trip—tonight, even. She swallowed the lump in her throat, pushing the thought to the back of her head, where all of her trauma had been locked up. If she could survive a raging Uchiha  _ god _ , what could a demon do? Well, actually, she didn’t want to risk willing that thought into the universe. 

As Ino had warned earlier, the path came to a dead-end, leaving nothing but untouched, wild forest ahead of them. “Stay close, and watch your feet,”  Tenten warned, walking tentatively over large protruding roots, but ultimately taking the lead. Ino slowed her pace, now trekking a few beats behind Sakura; she wondered for a moment if she was already in the way, impeding their perhaps normal routine.

Small drops of light trickled around them, dancing as the breeze moved the treetops above them. Despite the situation—demon hunting in a dark forest, in an unknown land, and all that jazz—the forest was serene. The trees were large and grew high into the sky, made of the same oak that had crafted the houses now distantly behind them. 

“We’re coming up to a clearing, so watch yourself,”  Tenten warned, a blade already held securely in her hand. Behind her, Sakura could hear Ino whispering something, which she could barely hear, but sounded like encouragement.

Sakura wasn’t ready for the sight before her, and quite honestly, she didn’t know if would be something she could  _ ever _ be ready. Scattered throughout the clearing were corpses of deer, too fresh to be rotting, but laying on their side with a stillness that made her shift. She had seen dead animals before—humans, even—but something about the scene before her was so surreal and yet rooted in  an eerie  reality, she wasn’t sure how to feel. She followed behind  Tenten and Ino, but stopped to crouch by the nearest deer, hesitantly stretching her hand to touch it, wondering if it would perhaps wake the animal from slumber. 

The deer was cold, but with soft fur, and Sakura felt another tug at her heart. Being so close, she took her time to inspect the body once over, confirming there were no outside injuries; she let her hand run absently against its fur, petting the small body as a frown tugged her lips down. Ino and  Tenten walked around the corpses, doing their own investigating, leaving Sakura with just her thoughts. “Did you suffer?” She asked, voice barely audible, giving one last loving stroke, giving a silent prayer (although she wasn’t religious by any means, it just--- it felt right to her) before joining the other two girls. 

“The Nara normally take the corpses of deer and burn them,” Ino started, crouching down to look at one of the nameless corpses. “I don’t know much of their tradition, but it’s a big ceremony,” Ino continued, looking up at Sakura with a sad smile.

“That sounds... taxing,” Sakura replied, scrunching her nose a bit. She was no deer expert, but she was sure that wild deer only lived for a few years. Ino’s laughter drew her attention back, and she tilted her head as the blonde’s smile grew.

“I forget that you’re not from around here.”

“What does that mean?” Sakura scrunched her nose before she could catch herself, but that only made Ino giggle more.

“Deer... they’re a bit odd. Timeless creatures, you see; some deer can live to be hundreds of years old, while others die after just twenty or thirty--” 

She was trailed off as  Tenten joined them, resting her hands on her hip with a scowl. “That’s why this scene is so unnatural.” Ino glanced around, giving a short nod. “To have so many deer... just die, randomly, like  _ this _ ? It’s not right,”  Tenten concluded, fingers tightening against herself.

“Anyways,” Ino interjected, her smile now replaced with a thin line, “they’re holding off on the ceremony until we get this figured out.”

The girls left the field behind them, but Sakura’s thoughts still remained on the edges of it; she wanted, more than anything, to let the deer get the peace they deserved. She wanted the Nara to do their ceremony, allow the deer to move onto their next life, but also—she wondered what kind of beast they were going up against. Would they find justice, or would it rip the life from them like the deer, leaving no trace or physical damage? She swallowed hard.

Sakura nearly ran right into  Tenten , but Ino’s firm grasp on her arm halted her; Ino pressed a finger to her lip, signifying silence, and Sakura didn’t need to be told twice. She felt nothing, and quite honestly could barely see five feet in front of her, but she knew better than to go against whatever they requested.  Tenten twirled a knife in her hand, eyes narrowing ahead to glare at something Sakura couldn’t make out. Ino withdrew her bow and an arrow, swiftly readying it to fire, but kept it pointed at the ground until  Tenten made the first move. Sakura shifted a foot backward, her hands gripping the satchel strap tightly. 

In Sakura’s eyes, no one had moved, barely even breathing; at some point, though, she realized Ino had fired an arrow ahead of them.  Tenten was gone only a split second later, gone in the blink of an eye. Ino was sprinting forward, dodging roots with ease. Her legs lifted automatically, and she followed behind Ino, albeit with much less grace. 

The forest, she noted, was silent. 

Until it wasn’t, about five minutes later.

Sakura couldn’t believe how fast Ino and  Tenten were; within a short period, she had already fallen behind, losing track of wherever they had run off to. What did they see, or hear? She hadn’t felt  _ anything _ . The silence had been unnerving, but hearing the distant sound of battle was much more terrifying. She prayed they would be safe, would come out unscathed. 

Her thoughts cost her  her footing, and she tumbled forward as her foot caught on a large root. She managed to catch herself on a nearby tree, letting out a deep breath as she momentarily slumped against it. The fighting was louder, both because she was nearing the battle, but also because the fighting had picked up—at least, that’s how it sounded. She forced herself to push against the tree, but her legs refused to move; she hissed, trying to  will herself forward. She had to help, damn it! She couldn’t just stay behind and do nothing. What if they got hurt, and needed her help to drag them to safety?  _ What if _ \--

The book in her satchel began to burn, and  _ shine ( _ she would’ve groaned if her mind hadn’t been preoccupied), and without a second thought she dug her hands into the book and pulled it out. The book was shining so brightly is hurt, as if she was staring straight up at the sun; it was warm to the touch, and although she could feel the heat radiating off, it didn’t seem to be burning her skin. She looked down as the pages began to flip by themselves, the soft flutter of rapid page-turning filling her ears; once it reached the end, it merely reversed, doing the same until it reached the beginning. There was no voice this time, and yet, she could hear  _ something _ . 

“What do you want? What now?” She growled, gripping the book tightly, her knuckles turning white. 

_ Do you deserve death? _

“ Wha \--”

_ It’s a natural thing... for all humans. To die. _

She nearly tossed the book, fed up with all the games and riddles, but stopped as a scream rippled around her.  Tenten , definitely. 

_ Rush forward and die. Or... _

Sakura was already moving, the book falling silent as she once again found her legs in working condition. She didn’t have time to deal with some damn book, not when her friend—one of the few people she had in this world, or universe, or whatever, was in danger. The light dimmed as she ran but only burned hotter, threatening to set her alight as she gripped it tightly in her hand. 

She reached another clearing, and for another moment she stopped; the earth was sprayed with a familiar red liquid, numerous weapons and arrows scattered across. A bit off-center was  Tenten , who was down on a knee, one hand gripping her opposite shoulder, the other hand wielding a long, thin sword. Ino was on the far left, gritting her teeth and glaring, her eyes scanning the area until they settled on Sakura; the glare was quickly displaced by wide, nervous eyes, and she opened her mouth to yell something,  _ but-- _ she felt it this time. The intense, almost suffocating feeling; worst of all, she could feel it immerging right behind her, not even a hair away. 

She should be dead, she knew; she had no fighting abilities, barely a sense of direction, and she had dumbly  ran straight into the fray without even thinking. That being said, instincts were a hell of a thing. 

She turned, dropping the book to her feet, the hand that had been holding it shooting out and slamming against the monster’s head. Whatever it was, as it currently had no form, was short, and she pressed her burning palm into its head with all the force she could muster. She could feel the warmth that had been accumulating in her hand seeping off from her and into the creature, small cracks of light beginning to form from underneath her flesh, spreading slowly like cracked glass across the shadowed figure. She sucked in air, watching the creature spasm lightly under her touch. When the last of the warmth was gone, leaving her palm almost icy, the creature broke free from her grip, staggering back with a shudder.

The cracks of light continued to slowly creep over the form, eliciting a low growl from the monster (despite the lack of mouth, which horrified her); after a long moment, the light stopped, and the monster gave one last full-body convulsion before the wispy form dispersed and disappeared before her eyes. Sakura finally let out a deep breath, one she didn’t realize she had been holding, and wobbled over to  Tenten who looked borderline  shell shocked . 

“Sakura...” She attempted to stand, only to gasp in pain and be caught by Ino, who wrapped her arm around her waist, gently lowering her back to the field. Sakura knelt in front, rummaging through her bag desperately. 

“Your cut—it looks deep, I’m not sure if I have enough—but you’ve already bled out so much--” Sakura babbled, spilling supplies out of her bag.

“It looks bad, and honestly hurts like hell, but it’s not actually  _ that _ bad,”  Tenten reassured her, giving her a wobbly smile. “We should try and get back to the huts first,  in case it comes back.”

Sakura stilled, meeting  Tenten’s sturdy gaze, her own wobbly and on the brink of another meltdown. She wanted to argue, to insist she needed something  _ now _ , but the idea of getting caught out in the open... She could only nod, watching as Ino hoisted  Tenten onto her back and began to walk quickly towards where they had entered. Despite carrying  Tenten , Ino moved fast and with purpose—Sakura, who had nothing, still found herself struggling to keep up (it didn’t help her legs were shaky, and her knees felt like they would give out at any second, she mused). She would definitely need to work on her stamina, and just—everything, later. Sakura paused for a moment before disappearing back into the darkness, eyes dropping down to her feet; she knelt, gently picking up the book, and tucking it away safely before  scurrying after Ino.

~

The night had been long, perhaps one of the longest one since she had come to this world, as Sakura had spent the rest of the evening (and most of the day) by  Tenten’s side. Ino only left to fetch more supplies and food, otherwise sitting just far enough away to not get in the way, but close enough to watch intently as stitched  Tenten’s shoulder back together. She had been right; it looked awful, but the wound itself wasn’t that deep. What had been worrisome was the jagged, uneven cut. Whatever had slashed her wasn’t clean, or perhaps had an unusual blade, and made it tricky to patch back up.  Tenten had tried her best to stay away, but blacked out after three hours. It was impressive.

Over the next two days, they had been visited only three times. The first was by a man who said his name was  Shikaku , the apparent head of the Nara clan; she wished could’ve been more formal, bowing and adhering to the respect his title demands, but at the time she had been deep in stitching, blood splattered on her face, body, and covering most of her arms (which, she wondered afterward, how  Tenten could have so much blood. It was unnatural!), and barely acknowledged his presence. Ino had taken it upon herself to inform him of what they came across, conveniently leaving out the part where Sakura had somehow conjured up some sort of magic that sent the monster careening away. Still, it was out there, lurking in the deepest part of the forest, most likely licking  its wounds and allowing itself time to heal. They would have to go out again soon.

The second person was someone who claimed to be another medic, who followed shortly after  Shikaku had left them; they had been quick to jump into the fray, helping Sakura in whatever way she asked, as well as taking over during periods where Sakura could feel her hands beginning to shake. As she allowed herself a few minutes to meditate, steadying her unsure mind, Ino quickly filled the gaps with chatter; something Sakura immensely appreciated. After  Tenten had been stabilized enough, Ino’s talking helped soothe the restless thoughts she had been dwelling on. After a few hours of back and forth, the medic had left Sakura to finish up, but gifted the girls with plenty of specialized medicines.

The third person to arrive was  Shikaku , again, but this time he was accompanied by two other men who had their hands full of weapons. They entered only to set them aside in the corner of the room, before exiting and leaving just Shikaku once more. It had been only an hour after Sakura was satisfied with Tenten’s care, and had given into the cry for sleep, letting her eyes shut only for a few moments before he entered. She did her best to present herself this time, bowing slightly, but he quickly waved her off. “I know you’re exhausted,” he had started, frowning as his dark eyes raked over the blood-soaked outfit and hands, “but we must discuss what happened in the forest.”

She knew it was going to happen eventually. Although Ino had given him a brief summary, it had been vague and just enough to appease him for the moment—still, she had been honest, that the threat was still out there, even if it was wounded. All they had done, truly, was by the clan more time to prepare. Ino crossed her arms, brows knitted in thought. “It’s a high-status demon, one that utilizes some kind of shadow magic.” There was a pause, Ino meeting  Shikaku’s hardened gaze. “You know what that means, right?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. He nodded.

“It was something from our clan, then.”

Ino returned his nod, her hands tightening around the cloth of her pants. “I’d assume so, since you haven’t reported any suspicious disappearances from your clan.”

“It’s different from normal, though. His— _ its _ _ _ whole body was made of shadow. Normal weapons went straight through. It was fast, but physically weak; it doesn’t appear to have a true physical form... at least, not yet. If I had to guess, that’s why there have been so many dead deer. It’s eating their life-force.”

A silence hung between the three, Sakura doing her best to stay away, but with every minute her eyes became heavier and heavier. 

“We landed a good blow, though. It’ll take time for it to recover. Considering its still - ethereal state, it’s especially vulnerable. We will use the time to let Tenten finish healing, and once she’s ready, we will go back out.”

Shikaku tilted his head, staring unwaveringly at Ino. “We found many demon slayer weapons, but if it is truly incorporeal, then they would’ve been useless.”

“That’s why  Tenten was injured,” Ino quickly followed up, frowning; both she and Sakura knew what was coming next.

“So how did you manage to hurt it?”

Ino looked dead ahead, not breaking her gaze with the clan head who returned her burning eyes with his own. She had done nothing wrong, at least, she didn’t  _ think _ she did; still, with how Ino was dancing around the subject, a knot began to twist in her stomach. 

“Temari gave us a scroll that gave one of our weapons short-term light empowerment,” Ino said easily, shrugging as a way to dissolve the tension in her shoulders. “We wanted to save it, but realized that we had no choice but to use it there.”

Shikaku seemed to accept this answer but still sighed. “If you were only any to damage it with that kind of magic... It must be quite strong.” He paused, crossing his arms as he narrowed his eyes. “If light is the only way to damage it, I’ll see what I can do about finding another scroll, or perhaps more enchanted weapons.”

“ Tenten will need at least a day or two to recover, and we can head back out,” Ino told him, giving her brunette's sleeping form a small smile.  Shikaku nodded, and without another word, turned to leave. Ino turned her attention to Sakura, who was still bordering on consciousness. “You should sleep,” she said, voice quiet and soft. “You’ve done all you can. Rest up now.”

She didn’t have to be told twice. Although there was a need inside of her to scrub off all the blood and change her clothes, exhaustion beat out any other thought; she laid on her side, not bothering to crawl over to her futon and let a dreamless sleep sweep over her. 

When she awoke, it was already the next day; she stirred, her dry mouth opening and closing as she did her best to unstiffen her jaw. Two voices echoed around her but sounded muffled as she still tried to recover from her sleep. Slowly, she pushed herself up, forcing her eyes open so she could stare through blurry vision at the two girls on the other side of the room. "Hello?” Sakura asked, voice hoarse and sluggish, eliciting a familiar giggle from one of the girls.

“I hope we didn’t wake you,” one of them said, which Sakura knew to be Ino, although her brain took a full second to search for the name. Perhaps sleeping on the floor had been a bad idea after all—who would’ve guessed? Sakura gave a few more steady blinks, sitting up to cross her legs, and hunched a bit forward. Her hands and arm were crusty, and she absently studied the dried, caked blood on herself as her senses began to restore themselves. Scrubbing off the stain and getting a new change of clothes would be the first thing on her to-do list.

“--kura?”

Sakura scrunched her nose, looking up and finding  Tenten sitting just a foot away from her, tilting her head but smiling. She blinked once, then twice, and on the third one, she was staring wide-eyed at the seemingly perfectly-fine Tenten. “Ah--”

“I know, I know,” she quickly interrupted, laughing. “But then again, should we be surprised? I feel like this--” she paused, gesturing to both Sakura and then herself, “--shouldn’t be much of a surprise anymore.”

Sakura stared at her, a ghost of a smile appearing, but it felt foreign and maybe a bit forced.  She didn’t know to say, or quite honestly, what to feel. She wasn’t a doctor (she was only a few years into her degree), and had minimal experience with actual surgery—the most experience she had was watching surgeries on video, or shadowing others at the hospital (most of which, didn’t even involve surgeries of any kind). To say she had the bare minimum of knowledge was perhaps an understatement. 

It just didn’t sit well with her; she hated being praised for something she didn’t really do, or something she didn’t understand. She had worked hard, of course, had poured hours into stitching  Tenten’s shoulder back up. But she didn’t  _ heal _ her. Sakura stared at the exposed shoulder, the gash that had been there just a day ago now absent, barely even a scar left.  Tenten rolled the shoulder curiously, her own eyes studying it, before turning back to Sakura.

Finally, Sakura found the words she had been searching for: “I don’t know how it happens.”

“Ah, just like yesterday, right?” Ino cut in, taking a seat next to  Tenten . Sakura broke her contact from the shoulder, looking bewildered towards Ino, who flashed a grin. “I was there, you know. I saw all of it.”

Sakura winced, her shoulders tightening, but she nodded. Ino hummed.

“You’re just full of surprises, Sakura.”

Ino gave a quick wave, getting up and extending a hand to Sakura, who accepted it. “It’s a problem for later. For now, how about we go wash up and change?” 

For the first time today, Sakura gave a genuine smile, nodding quickly. “God, yes.”

It was earlier then Sakura had originally thought, the sun barely lighting up the yard; she was thankful, though, as it meant more people would still be sleeping for another hour or two. She looked awful, dried blood caked up every inch of her hands and crawled up her arms, some was even in her hair and sprinkled on her face, not to mention her clothes had basically been bathed in it. She would prefer that no one saw her in such disarray. To be fair,  Tenten also didn’t look too great. Her sleeve had been completely removed, exposing her shoulder, but her clothes from the neck down had even more blood then Sakura’s (again, she wondered how much blood this girl had; the amount of blood she had last had been inhuman). Ino had the least tattered clothes of them all, but her dark circles and ghost smile said enough: she hadn’t slept at all.

Part of the “perks” of being a guest of the Nara clan was the access to their bathhouse, which was conveniently empty. Even if it had been later in the day, Ino had told her, it would probably still be this dead; most people didn’t bathe until night, after all the work for the day had been done. That was fine with her, though. She didn’t exactly have “body issues”, but was certainly not confident enough to use public bathing of any kind. The blood was just an added factor.

The girls entered the bath, Sakura and  Tenten tossing their clothes into a trash bin, while Ino folded her and set it on a shelf. The water was hot, almost scalding, but was welcomed happily. Sakura made quick work to scrub every inch of her body, being sure to get under her nails and behind her ears; her teacher’s words echoed in the back of her head, scolding her lack of cleanliness. Being kept clean was the number one rule for a doctor, as contamination could lead to risking your own safety, and others. This had been the second time she had tossed that out the window, throwing her hands deep into an exposed wound to patch it up. She bit back a  grimace , focusing instead on ruthlessly scrubbing her scalp. 

After an hour of scrubbing, with some light chatter and relaxing mixed it, the girls felt clean enough to exit. Ino handed  Tenten and Sakura matching white yukatas, a plain red obi to tie it altogether, slipping into her own quickly after. “We will wear something less formal for now, especially since we don’t want to draw attention,” Ino told her, the blonde braiding her long hair back swiftly. “We will spend the day recovering, and tomorrow night we will head back out. I’ll see about contacting Temari so she knows what’s happening.”

The sun was finally rising, and more of the Nara clan had awoken and began their daily chores; most paid no mind to the girls, letting them walk past without even a glance. Back at their small temporary home, Sakura was surprised to find the inside had been thoroughly cleaned, with trays of food being placed against the wall; even their bedding had been swapped, although most of the beds hadn't even been touched by the gore. Ino could only laugh, grabbing a tray and taking a seat on one of the futons. “The Nara really go all out with their guests. They wouldn’t stand for someone to come in and feel unwelcomed or untaken care of.”

Eating together made Sakura feel even better, getting a familiar feel of what it had been like a few days earlier, but also mixing with a few memories of sitting with her friends at high school. They talked about nothing in particular, laughing and joking as if they hadn’t just spent the past almost-week traveling and fighting. Ino, Sakura learned quickly, could laugh so hard she snorted, which in turn made Sakura lose herself in laughter. It felt good. 

Like the first day, when they finished eating, Ino gathered up everything and set it outside. She returned, stretching her arms above her head with a gruff. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m  _ exhausted _ .”

“Yeah, you don’t look too good,”  Tenten snorted, adjusting herself so she was laying back, but propped up by her elbows. Ino scowled.

“Being beautiful is hard,  ya know. Can’t keep it up all the time.”

Tenten laughed, throwing her head back as Ino situated herself in her own, huffing. “I’m going to sleep. Wake me up if you need anything,” she said, pulling the large blanket up and over her head. Sakura and  Tenten shared a glance,  Tenten rolling her eyes but smiling.

“Sorry, I’m going to join her though. I may be healed, but I'm still exhausted from it all. Will you be okay?”

Sakura shrugged, pulling her knees up to her chest and smiling. “I’ll be fine. I’ve had to entertain myself before.”

“You should get out, go take a look around Konoha. I’m sure it’d be nice to get out for a while.”

“What if I get lost?”

Tenten considered, humming as she began to pull her own blanket over herself. “Just ask somewhere the Nara clan’s residence is—if you can’t find it yourself, that is.” She rolled onto her side, giving Sakura one last smile. “Take my bag with you. I brought some money, just in case—if you see something you like, feel free to treat yourself.”

Sakura sighed, hugging her knees tighter to her chest, listening to the leveled breathing coming from the two bodies next to her. She  _ did _ want to go out and take a look around the village, but was it right to leave the two sleeping girls? On top of that, Sakura didn’t feel right taking the currency  Tenten had offered. She could always stay and try to sleep, but honestly, she was surprisingly well rested; it was rare nowadays, sure, but she had been so exhausted from the procedure, she had actually slept  _ well _ .

After much mental debate, she finally got up and made her way out of the small hut—before she left, she grabbed out a small collection of coins from  Tenten’s bag, all of which had been neatly wrapped in a silky but sturdy brown sack. She didn’t plan on actually buying anything, as she’d feel awful using  Tenten’s money, but figured it was better to have it on her just in case. Sakura retraced her steps through the rows of houses, walking carefully back through the main house until she found herself standing right outside the entrance. 

Without much of a plan in mind, Sakura allowed herself to just start walking, letting her curiosity guide her around the city. Although the Nara’s residence had been closer to the protective wall built around the city, it didn’t take her very long to find an active market, packed with people. She mingled with the crowd easily enough, doing her best to try and not stick out  _ too much _ , but still eyeing up shops as she passed. There seemed to be a rough pattern for the market place, with clothing and armor shops being situated by each other; after that, it mixed in with more weapon and fighting shops, which then moved into general goods. Scattered randomly about were different restaurants and bars, which had the  liveliest crowds (places she would definitely avoid, then). 

The marketplace was long and busy, but she quickly caught on that it was built in a circle formation—curiously, she broke from the circle and followed another large path into the center, where stalls were set up, mostly with people selling food, but with a few miscellaneous ones set up as well. In the dead center of it all was a large fountain, a statue of a woman she didn’t recognize holding her palm out, with a flame burning inside it, while her other handheld onto a sword that was pointed at a slight angle towards the water. Sakura approached it, staring up at the statue, wondering what kind of meaning was supposed to be behind it; despite all the useless over-the-top analysis she had done for most of her high school (and even some college) English classes, she couldn’t wrap her head about what it was supposed to mean. 

“Beautiful, isn't it?” A voice sounded out, a person taking their place next to Sakura. She tilted her head, rubbing her chin in thought.

“Yes, it’s quite well done,” she said absently, turning to look at who had decided to brave a conversation with a stranger. The most notable thing about him was his mask, which concealed most of his face; the second was his eyepatch covering his left eye, leaving only a fraction of his face available. She resisted the urge to scrunch her nose, and in its place, just gave him a pleasant, polite smile. He seemed to return it, or at least she assumed, as his eye crinkled up as if he was.

“Ah, but it seems like that’s not what's on your mind?”

Sakura turned back to the statue, giving a short nod. “I was just wondering what it means.”

“Not from around here?”

Sakura paused, considering her options: technically, no, she was far from home. But she had been staying at the priestess temple long enough, and she did consider that her home-away-from-home-- “Not exactly,” she finally answered, shrugging her shoulders. The man nodded, humming as he observed the statue himself.

“Well, I’ve been told art can be  interpreted in different ways.” 

Sakura snorted, unable to contain herself, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“However, most people here—in this village, at least—would tell you that it’s supposed to represent the will of fire.”

Sakura tilted her head, staring at the sculpted fire in the woman’s palms. “Does that have to do with this being the Land of Fire?” She asked, glancing back towards the man. He returned her gaze, staring back into her eyes without hesitation; quite honestly, it was a bit unnerving. 

“I suppose so,” he finally said, shrugging. After a long pause, he spoke again: “Perhaps that is the easiest way to understand it.”

Sakura frowned, watching as he gave her a short wave and began to walk off. People in this world, she noted, loved to be ambiguous and mysterious; it seemed to be a reoccurring theme in her meetings. She decided not to dwell on it, turning and leaving the opposite way he had headed off to, following another large path back to the outer ring of different markets. As she did, she let the statue and it’s apparent ‘Will of Fire’ meaning situate itself under a file of  _ probably _ useless information, and instead began to formulate a plan. Walking aimlessly around town was fun and all, but she should probably find some purpose here fast. After all, she didn’t know when she’d get another chance to be in the village.

She wasn’t a shy person by any means, but that didn’t mean she enjoyed going out of her way to ask people questions. She had managed to find a small bookstore, and after searching through the aisles for a bit (but, sadly, didn’t find anything on “how to reverse getting sent to a different universe” in stock), decided to head to the clerk and ask them about the city. The young man behind the counter was kind, offering a rough outline of the city; around this area she would find mainly stores and a couple of neighborhoods, but the library, hospital, and most government buildings were up north, stationed against the mountain that helped form a natural barrier. He told her that the library was open to the public, but most of the “good stuff” were locked to those in higher ranks.

“Are you sightseeing?” He asked, leaning forward with a large smile. She shrugged.

“Sort of. I have some free time today, but I don’t really know anything about... this place.”

“You haven’t visited the mountain yet?” He asked, tilting his head. She shook her head. “Oh, that means you haven’t seen it, huh?” He followed up, laughing.

She pursed her lips. “No?”

“When you get a bit closer... you’ll see what I’m talking about.” He shot her a wink before walking to the other side of the counter to help check out a guest.

Sakura resisted the urge to sigh, once again having to deal with  _ more _ open-ended statements. These people needed to learn how to be specific. Either way, she had been given the information she needed, and headed back into the still busy marketplace. She still had  Tenten’s coin purse in her pocket, but would only dip into if absolutely necessary (and she would make sure to find a way to repay her, no matter what she said). 

Something to her left caught her eye, and she discreetly broke from the line of flowing traffic to inspect it. There were numerous weapons of display behind glass, but the one that drew her eye was a dagger; the hilt was black with gold accents, and near the base of the blade was a small diamond square, with perfectly evened lines intersecting inside carved into it. Sakura found herself entering the shop, walking cautiously as if it could be a trap. Weapons and shield decorated every inch of the store, some hung up, some resting in open glass cases, and a few just sitting proudly on the tables. She turned and headed for the display, pausing next to it to eye up the dagger.

A person was next to her suddenly, making her nearly jump out of her skin, and she half spun to see the man she had met by the fountain earlier that day. His raised his eyebrow at her curiously, and even though she couldn’t see his mouth, she had a gut feeling he was smiling at her. “You scared me,” she set, letting out a deep breath, pressing her hand to her chest. 

“I didn’t take you as someone who was... interested in weapons.”

Sakura turned back, her fingers running lightly over the table. “It’s... not for me, exactly.”

The man gave a low hum in response, and once she felt him move away, reached for the dagger that caught her eye. That night... it was still a blur, and even now, she couldn’t piece much of it back together. Still, she had remembered she had lost  Tenten’s knife, and maybe it was silly, but she wished she could replace it. Buying it with  Tenten’s own money didn’t seem quite right, though; didn’t that defeat the whole purpose of a gift? She knew deep down,  Tenten didn’t care; the dagger was probably just a spare, an extra given out quickly so Sakura had had something. Sakura was stubborn, though, and would find a way to replace it. 

It was a shame she didn’t know a damn thing about weapons. She held it gingerly, looked over every possible angle, held it in both hands... but at the end of the day, it was just a decorated dagger to her. She couldn’t tell if it was any good, or if it was merely  _ pretty _ and that’s why she liked it so much. “You’ve been holding that dagger for quite some time,” the man mused, walking back over to where Sakura had glued herself. She let out a heavy sigh, going to set it back in  its spot.

“I’m not sure if it’s what I’m looking for,” she responded sourly, gently placing it back on display. “I just want a nice, sturdy dagger.”

The man considered her for a second before reaching over and grabbing the dagger to inspect it himself. “It’s not too bad—lightweight, but made from good material. It’s sharp, and the hilt is in perfect condition. The rose will make it extra costly, however.”

Sakura grumbled, crossing her arms with a deep frown. “It’s not something I should probably buy anyways.”

“Ah, I’ll take it then.”

She turned to observe him, only to watch him slip the dagger into his pocket and head towards the exit. Moving on instinct, she hurried after him, grabbing his arm before he could. “What are you  _ doing _ ?” She hissed, squeezing his forearm tightly.

“Oh, don’t worry, they won’t do anything about it.”

She shook her head vehemently. “You’re stealing!” She replied, voice low; she glanced back cautiously at the employee manning the store, who seemed to be lost in cleaning a sword. The man looked down at her, amusement dancing in his eyes, which only made her seethe more.

“It’s fine, I won’t get caught. They can’t even see me taking it.” The man withdrew the knife, waving it dramatically above his head, staring straight at the employee. Sakura could feel herself pale, turning to see the employee give her a quick look before turning to his job. The man turned back to her, giving her a closed-eye smile. “See?”

Sakura almost couldn’t believe her ears. She gave him a strong yank, pulling him a few more feet into the store. She extended a free hand to him, palms up. “I won’t let you just steal this. Give it here.”

“No.”

Despite her death grip on his arm, he moved easily, dragging her behind him; Sakura was resilient, if not bullheaded, though, and wouldn’t let him walk away so easily. She clung to his arm desperately, trying to use her weight to slow him down as much as possible, but he walked as if nothing was wrong; in fact, he seemed to have a new pep-in-his-step which drove her up a wall.

“Where do you get off, just... stealing? So blatantly?” She asked, exasperated. He shrugged.

“I take what I need, or what I want. Usually, the latter.”

Sakura didn’t laugh at his joke, only stared up at him with the fiercest glare she could muster. He sighed, and Sakura swore he was pouting under his mask. “You’re no fun.”

“And you’re a thief!”

“You know, you should be careful with how loudly you talk... People are going to think you’re crazy.”

“I don’t care if this whole damn city knows you’re a thief!”

He turned to her and wagged his finger at her, giving her a small playful ‘tsk’ noise. “That’s not what I meant.”

The man paused his walking, leaning in close to whisper into her ear: “I told you earlier; they can’t see me. All you’re doing is yelling at thin air.”

Sakura sucked in a breath, but he didn’t seem to notice and only continued walking. “If you’d like to try and convince me to return this—which you won’t, by the way—how about just finishing the trip to my house?”

Sakura narrowed her eyes, juggling the possibilities in her head. Everything in her brain told her  _ no, this is definitely, absolutely, positively, an outrageously bad idea _ , and yet she continued to walk with him, hand still locked around part of his arm. Her logic and morals battled inside her brain, and just when she thought she was beginning to come to her senses, she heard him chirp in again.

“You seem to have a lot going on in that head of yours, hm?” He asked, tone light and playful. If looks could kill, this man would've been dead seven times over by now. “ Every time I’ve stumbled across you, even now, you look lost in thought.”

Sakura said nothing. She didn’t even know what to say, in all honesty; she had always been a girl lost in her own thoughts, absorbed with ideas and knowledge that constantly buzzed around her. She had gotten better over the years, pulling herself from the wild daydreams or constant rehearsing of information she had learned, but she found herself falling back into old habits yet again. Would she ever admit he was right, though?

No, never. 

“Well, if you’re trying to think of a plan on how to take the knife back, don’t bother.” The two turned down a sideroad, and Sakura keenly noted that they had long ago left the buzzing marketplace; it seemed they were entering a small residential area. “If you try anything, I’ll know, I’ll see it, and you will fail.” The duo fell into silence, but Sakura seemed to be the only person unnerved by it; she was rigid, wondering why the hell she was still grabbing onto this man, letting him lead her somewhere foreign, while he had started humming a tune and looked like he was starting to daydream. 

Thankfully, it wasn’t much longer before they seemingly reached their destination. The man slid free of her grasp, not that she was exactly holding him there, and walked up to the sliding door of a medium-sized house. She scrunched her nose, glancing the house up and down; it wasn’t anything special, as almost every other house on the street looked like it, minus this one had no flowers or garden in the front, but that didn’t mean she was going to trust it or him. Perhaps sensing her apprehension, he pulled the dagger out of his pocket and waved it playfully. She huffed, trudging up after him and into the house.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey all, sorry I was gone for like... four + months lmao. life just got kinda crazy for me, but I found myself wanting to try and pick up this story again. that being said, this is significantly shorter than all my other chapters, as I kinda just want to start moving things along. also, apologies in advance, it's been so long that I've forgotten a lot of plot points and stuff. I checked my notes but they're, uh... they're something. so some things might not TOTALLY line up, but that's okay, we will just all look the other way :)

Sakura entered and found herself just a few feet short of a simple living room; the main part of it was a step sunken in, with a square table in the middle, with numerous bookshelves and plants scattered about. “Tea?” He asked, breezing past her and into another room.

She tiptoed into the room a bit more but didn’t dare make herself comfortable, instead choosing to stand rigid near the step-down. When the man reemerged a few minutes later, he was balancing teacups in one hand, and a hot kettle in the other. He sat at the table, first setting the cups down, and then gently placing the kettle onto a thick cloth. “I suppose if you’ve come this far, you’ve earned your right to know my name,” he said, sounding almost amused. "It's Kakashi.”

“Sakura,” she responded instantly, biting her tongue as soon as the word left her mouth; it was hard to fight against the habit. Kakashi gave her a quick nod before gesturing to a spot across from him.

“Plan on standing, or would you like some tea? I promise it’s only the best.”

She rolled her eyes but found herself walking over to the table and taking a seat in front of him. Satisfied, he poured both her cup first, sliding it across the table, before filling his own. Sakura couldn’t help but wonder if he was going to pull his mask off to drink; however, he just held the cup, tapping his finger against it idly. “Now, I believe you only came to convince me to return the dagger?”

Sakura nodded, watching him set the dagger in the middle of the table, equal distance between both of them. “Well, go ahead and take it then.”

When she made no move to grab it, he raised an eyebrow. She scoffed.

“You told me not to try anything, right? I’m no idiot. This is bait.”

Kakashi looked amused but said nothing else about it. “Why are you so dead set on this?”

“Because it’s wrong, obviously. It’s not your property to take.”

He no longer looked amused (and, dare she say, almost bored).

“Ah,” he replied lamely, bring the teacup up to his mask; for a split second, she watched curiously, seeing if he would pull it down and reveal himself to her, but he brought it back to the table just before it reached his face. The tease. Sakura, perhaps to mock him, mimicked him—although she made sure to take a long, slow sip of tea (which was surprisingly good, she would admit). “Well, I dare say you’re going to have to try harder if you wish for me return such a thing,” he cooed as she drank.

Sakura furrowed her brow, dropping her gaze from him to the dagger, observing it curiously. Kakashi reached out, picking the blade up to inspect it closer to his face. “Such a lovely dagger,” he mumbled, twirling it in his hand. “Don’t you think?” He asked, glancing up towards her. If at all possible, her frown deepened. “Well, I suppose you were the one who did pick it out. Maybe I should thank you? If you hadn’t picked it up, I would’ve never noticed it.”

Sakura scoffed. “Don’t put the blame on me.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I assure you, I’m not.”

He set the dagger back down, and Sakura took that as her sign that it was her turn, gently picking up the dagger and inspecting it herself. She wondered absently why she had been so drawn to it; she didn’t know a single a thing about weapons, didn’t know if there was truly anything special about it, and yet found herself unable to leave to it. She ran a finger carefully over the design engraved into the metal, taking care to not accidentally slice herself. Kakashi remained silent, shockingly, allowing her to focus her attention on the dagger. 

Although the man was annoying, she did agree it was a wondrously crafted dagger—from what she could tell, anyway. She had never dabbled with weapons in her... well, in the other world (she almost thought to call it her “past life”, but that made her feel uneasy). Her eyes locked with the symbol engraved on it, and she couldn’t help but stare hard. Something in her stomach was suddenly uneasy, like endless knots tying themselves in her gut. Had she seen it before? No, she certainly hasn’t.

“Are you curious? About the symbol?” Kakashi asked, resting his arms on the table. She shrugged.

“Does it mean something?”

“One could say so, yes.” He said with a lazy wave of his hand. She looked up at him, waiting for him to continue, before realizing he was waiting for her prompt.

“Ok, can you tell me about it?” 

“Sure.” Kakashi chirped, giving her a closed-eye smile (or what she assumed to be a smile, at least). Sakura waited for a beat, raising an eyebrow at him. Wordlessly, he extended his hand towards her, and she silently complied by handing the dagger back to him.

“This symbol represents a clan, of sorts. An ancient, almost forgotten one. One of the most powerful this entire land had ever seen.”

“A powerful clan? Like the  Hyuga ?” 

Kakashi resisted his urge to snort, instead shrugging his shoulders lightly and closing his eyes so she wouldn’t see him roll them. “Sort of, but not quite. The Hyuga, although surely powerful in their own right, are still mortal. This clan, however, is not.”

“Like the Uchiha?” She blurted out, causing Kakashi to pause. Maybe she was imagining it, but for a split second, it looked like he had been glaring. She had blinked too fast, and it was gone.

“You say their name pretty boldly,” he commented, although his tone sounded more playful than anything. “But, no, that’s also not right. The Uchiha are gods, a bit different than this one. Now, if you would stop interrupting, I could tell you everything--”

Sakura flushed, looking down at her tea, and he took that as the incentive to continue on. “This clan is somewhere between both worlds. It’s a bit complicated, but perhaps the easiest way is to classify them as demons.” 

She tried to not look worried, but her anxiety instantly peaked. A demon, like the one they were facing in the Nara’s forest? Was that a demon? She remembered back at the temple, that’s what Temari had told them this thing was. So, of course, she would’ve been the one to pick up a dagger that once belonged to some demon clan. She had the absolute worst luck. Whether he noticed her change didn’t matter, as he continued as if all was fine.

“They’re a bit of a wild card, though. They didn’t fit in much with other monsters or anything. They could pass as humans easily enough, and got to live the perks of walking during the day, and creeping around at night. However, by trade, they were tricksters,” Kakashi chuckled to himself at the last bit, and if Sakura didn’t know any better, it almost looked like he was remembering something. “They didn’t care for the rules and laws of mortals and did as they wish. However, they seemed to favor those that were less well in the world. They took justice into their own hands. They enjoyed taking from those too well off for their own good, and scattering their wealth in the streets to the poor.”

“Oh, like Robin Hood!”

  
Kakashi looked her way, blank expression, and she flushed. “Oh, never mind, it’s just... a character, I mean, it doesn’t matter. Go ahead.” Maybe the one good thing about Kakashi was that he seemed to take everything lightly, and at least didn’t make her feel incredibly awkward about anything. It could be both infuriating and a blessing. Even now, he simply brushed her off and continued.

“There isn’t much backstory that others know, but their name is feared whenever spoke. Would you like to know why?”

Sakura swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat before speaking: “Yes.”

“They’re known as the Killers  Of Kings,” Kakashi said, voice dropping low. “There are a few rumors as to why. Some say they do it because they know those in power are often corrupt. A bit selfish, don’t you think? To think that this clan would kill for them.”

“And...” Sakura started slowly, looking down at her tea for a moment before lifting her gaze to look at him, “what do you think?”

At this, he smiled, or  _ smirked _ , rather, mask crinkling as his lips turned. “I believe that they simply kill those that no longer serve a purpose.”

Sakura considered his words, frowning a bit. “Are you think they can just have that sort of say?”

He shrugged his response. “Maybe, maybe not. Is it fair for any one person to have a say over another, even though that’s what this whole world is built on?” 

Fair point, but she would never tell him that. “So... what is their name?”

“They’re known as the Hatake clan.”

Sakura searched her brain, trying to remember if there was any mention of them in her book. If they were so important, wouldn’t they have been listed? Then again, he did mention that they’re older, almost forgotten. Yet, he said their name still invoked fear, so what exactly was this clan? She didn’t feel satisfied with his answers at all, with even more questions than what she started with. Kakashi continued, ignoring her wandering thoughts.

“This dagger... it belongs to the clan. As you can guess, I’m sure. But it was actually stolen from them over twenty years ago.”

“How do you know?”

Kakashi gave a knowing hum, handling the dagger with care, inspecting it. “ Let's just say, I’ve been around for a bit.” 

“You’re not really convincing me of anything here...”

“Oh? I thought that was your job?”

Sakura gave a coy smile, shrugging. “Well, it just seems like you’re trying to convince me that this dagger shouldn’t go back. Why else would you tell me all about this clan?”

“Smart girl,” he murmured back, setting the dagger on the table once more. “It’s not really my place to convince you one way or another, though. I just enjoy the conversation.”

“Is that right?”

“Maybe I’ll even let you return it for keeping me company,” he mused.

“You’re making this pretty easy for me, huh?” She grinned back, taking the dagger from the table. He let out a defeated sigh, although he didn’t look too upset. 

“ Let's have another cup of tea for the road, and I suppose I’ll let you take it with you.”

Sakura beamed, taking a pleasant sip of her drink. In the end, he hadn’t been too weird, although she was definitely not going to tell the girls about this experience. Quite honestly, it had been nice, and she was a sucker for any information she could get her hands on. This world was an oddity, with hundreds of secrets just begging for her to unearth. She was way in over her head, but that never stopped her before. Maybe, if she kept digging, she’d find a way to return home? Kakashi stood, mumbling something along the lines of going to prepare more tea, but she wasn’t listening.

As he stood, she watched him, nodding as he turned and walked casually away. Something caught her eye as he walked, and her senses honed on it immediately. It was a tattoo, barely peeking out from his sleeves—it was still mostly covered, but she saw enough of it to know. Or at least, that’s what her gut told her. Once Kakashi was out of the room, she frowned, turning back to the dagger. Without a doubt, it was the same design as what was engraved on the dagger. Which, she guessed, made sense. That’s why he knew so much about the clan, and why he was so sure it had been stolen. In the end, she would bet it had been stolen from him.

But by who? And why? She found herself busy with more and more questions, something she thought she’d be used to by now, but it was never easy. She wanted to know more about the Hatake clan, but how could she ask and be discreet? Also, did she dare take the dagger back? Put that much faith in him that this wasn’t some weird con being pulled on her? She tapped her nail against the metal, thinking over all the possibilities. Whether she liked it or not, or whether she would openly admit it (she would never), she trusted him. In some weird, this-definitely-doesn't-make-sense way. Maybe she really had lost her mind. Who knows?

She could hear the clinking of metal in the other room, and with one last look at the dagger, she set it gently down on the table and stood. For now, she would just leave. Besides, she had been gone long enough, and she realized she was antsy to see  Tenten again. Not to mention... if the demon came back that night, who was going to be there?

She tiptoed towards the door, stopping before she left; she glanced back, bit her lip, and gave a short bow before taking her leave. The sun was beginning to dip, and if she had to guess, it was probably already around four or five pm. It was a good enough time to return, maybe take a nap, and get ready for the night. She tried not to think about the demon, or what the hell they were going to do now. For now, she would just return to  Tenten and Ino, and not worry about what was to come. To her surprise, she felt somewhat comfortable in the city and did her best to navigate back to the house. She only stopped for help about four times before she spotted the Nara’s house.

\--

Kakashi re-entered the room, his eyebrows raising curiously; his companion had left, but more interestingly, she had left the dagger. He walked back to his original spot, sitting down and setting the newly made tea back on the table. He reached over, picking up what she had left, eyeing his clan’s symbol on it. Could she had figured out that it was his dagger? Well, it was a possibility, but that hadn’t been his original goal. In truth, he really was going to let her take it—actually, he would’ve preferred if she just kept it for herself, but that would’ve been a hard story to spin. Still, knowing what she was going to go up against... she would probably need it.

Kakashi lifted the cup to his face, smelling its fragrance, before pulling down his mask to take a drink. He allowed himself to close his eyes, sighing as he slid his mask back on. When he reopened his eyes, as the man was situated across from him, black hair pulled into a pony. “Come in,” he quipped, setting his glass down on the table. “Would you like some tea? It’s some of the best in the land.”

“Considering it’s  _ my _ tea, I’d love some.”

“Don’t be so grumpy  Itachi ,” Kakashi replied, pouring another cup for his guest before handing it over. The man took it gently, sipping slowly as if he had all the time in the world.  Itachi didn’t respond, only continued to sip slowly and carefully; he studied the tinted liquid inside his cup each time, appearing deep in thought.

“Cut the bullshit,” Kakashi said point-blank. “I know this isn’t just a coincidence, that you just so happened to come for your tea I stole years ago.”

Itachi took one last sip before setting his empty cup on the table. “What do you think of it?”

“It?” Kakashi mimicked.

“Her.”

“Interesting,” he replied easily, watching  Itachi’s every move carefully. “What did she do to catch the Uchiha’s eye?”

“I wouldn’t say it’s our eyes, exactly.”

“So why are you here then?”

“ Curiosity .”

Kakashi sighed, rubbing the back of his head. Of course, out of everyone, it would be  Itachi who would come visit him. He was one of the hardest people to read and pick apart, and getting information from him was like pulling teeth. 

“So, what I think of her, huh?” Kakashi said, rubbing his chin in thought. “I think you should all let this girl live her life,” he continued, staring into the dark eyes ahead of him.  Itachi , ever expressionless, shifted his cup forward, and Kakashi wordlessly filled it up.

“It’s not in my plans to disrupt her in any way.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Itachi looked off, staring off into nothing for a moment. “She angered my brother, and he’s been searching for her since.”

Kakashi nodded. “She does seem like the type to always be getting in trouble. But Sasuke... He’s a wild one, I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten to her yet.”

“He ran into the Uzumaki boy the last time he tried.”

Kakashi snorted, unable to help himself. This girl—who was she exactly? He knew the second he saw her she was out of place, but he didn’t expect her to be so... involved. But he supposed it couldn’t be helped. Her energy, her presence; it had been odd enough to draw even  _ him _ in, someone who hadn’t meddled with human affairs in over twelve years. 

“What do you plan to do with her?”

“As I said, I have no interest in integrating into her life.”

“And yet, here you are...”

“I wanted to see what you thought of her.”

“She’s fun, I like her. I don’t think she realizes what she’s getting herself into.”

Itachi nodded silently, whether in agreement or acknowledgment, he never clarified. He sipped the rest of his tea in silence, Kakashi watching him carefully. “Are you involved with the Nara?” He asked suddenly, but Itachi seemed unbothered.

“No, but I have heard whispers about it in passing.”

“It’s a demon, hiding in the Nara forest. Uses shadow magic.”

Itachi met his gaze, and although his expression was blank, Kakashi had known him long enough to tell he was somewhat interested in it. Certainly, it was uncommon. Demons came and went, but the circumstances for this one... Well, it certainly caught his eye. He could feel it the other night,  its very presence stretching the span of the city; most humans didn’t even flinch, but for  _ him _ , oh, he could feel its hunger. Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t pay too much attention to when  Itachi stood, bowing to him.

“Until next time,” he said, turning and taking his leave.

“Yeah,” Kakashi answered lazily, frowning beneath his mask. His eyes went back to the dagger he had still been holding into, lifting it and observing it. Oh, he wished she had taken it with her; she was going to need it.


	6. Chapter 6

Sakura had made it back to the Nara’s complex in one piece, thankfully, but she was exhausted. The Nara let her pass without much trouble, one of the guards even offering to guide her to the house, but she denied. She made her way through their territory, letting the muscle memory carry her legs back to their little hut. Unsurprisingly, Ino and  Tenten were inside, and they greeted her warmly.

“Hey, welcome back,”  Tenten said with a smile, sitting cross-legged, palms pressed into her knees; Sakura guessed she had been meditating before she had arrived. “Did you like the city?”

Sakura remembered back, but her thoughts stuttered on the most recent memory. Kakashi. She nodded, taking a seat on her futon. “Yeah, it’s nice. It’s huge, too.”

Ino giggled, laying on her stomach with her head resting on her arms. “That’s true. There’s a reason why this is the major capital for the Land of Fire. All of the elite clans live here too.”

Sakura merely nodded in response, giving in to her desire to lay back on the futon. Her eyes fluttered for a moment and realizing that she would inevitably fall asleep if she stayed there, went to push herself up.

“You can sleep if you want, Sakura. We won’t be going out for a bit,”  Tenten told her from across the room. She opened her mouth to protest but decided she’d take the chance now. After all, they were going to be heading out for (most likely) the whole night. A short nap would do her good here; she didn’t want to get caught in the forest, tired and sluggish. She hummed her acknowledgment to her, drifting off to sleep quickly.

When she awoke, Sakura found herself... not in her futon. In fact, she wasn’t even in the city anymore. She was in shallow water, floating on her back. She blinked a few times, wondering if maybe she was asleep, but it was all too  _ real _ . She sat up, her body sinking to the bottom immediately, and looked around (at least, she thought absently, the water was warm and comfortable). As far as the eye could see was water, a light blue that seemed too vibrant for its own good. The water was stagnant, save for the ripples her own body caused, but even those didn’t seem to extend far from her. The sky was a cool-toned white, which stretched the same distance as the water. If she looked straight up, she saw pearly-white, fluffy clouds. Past them, she could make out constellations and stars scattered around, but they were far off and dull. Not to mention, it was clearly daytime.

Despite the circumstances, Sakura found herself to be almost... at ease? Her instincts didn’t scream for her to flee, and her heart pounded smoothly in her chest; she felt no anxiety, nor dread, even though the logical side of her brain said that this was clearly not right. Maybe Kakashi had drugged her, and this was the side effect? She had been  dumb enough to drink the tea, she realized, and he never did.

Bastard.

Sakura stood, glancing down at her feet in the water (the water was nearly translucent, which made her feel even weirder). Hesitantly, she dragged a foot forward, pressing her weight onto that leg to test it. Everything seemed to be working fine. The ground was solid, almost like stone, and her legs moved normally in the water. There was a little natural resistance, but something she could easily power through.  So she did. No matter which direction she looked, it was all the same. There was nothing but more sky and water any which way she looked, so she picked a random spot and started walking.

Time was weird here, she realized quickly. She couldn’t tell if she had been walking for minutes, hours, or days. Even when she took a second to think logically, knowing she just started walking, it didn’t feel right. While originally, she thought the world was completely the same, as she walked, she felt it shift around her. It all looked the same, and yet it was different. She couldn’t explain it, but she knew. She had tried calling out every once in awhile but didn’t hear anything. She wasn’t sure if she simply couldn’t hear anything, or if she made no noise to begin with. Sakura kept walking.

With her legs never tiring, and her thoughts scattered and unbothered, she walked until the world around her began to shift. It came suddenly and unexpectantly. The clouds from above had begun to drop, and while it wasn’t noticeable at first, they were now just a bit above her head. She reached out to touch one, but her hand went straight through it. It was a strikingly cold, unlike the water around her ankles, and left her hand feeling tingly. She decided not to touch one again and kept walking.

The clouds were all around her now, drifting peacefully. They looked like normal clouds that had just shrunken down to her size and were wispier and long. She had walked through a few them, inevitably, but they didn’t leave her cold or tingly as the previous one did. Still, it felt weird to walk through, so she tried to avoid them. It was hard to explain—it was almost like she was passing through something she shouldn’t. Like a spirit was passing through her body; it made her shudder.

The clouds around here were thickening the longer she pressed on, now a heavy fog that left her unable to see a foot ahead of her. She turned in place, but every side was the same, and for the first time she could feel her heart beginning to race. As panic began to bubble up, a voice—soft, warm, welcoming—called to her. “Do not fret, child,” they said, their words echoing all around her. Sakura blinked a few times, looking around slowly.

“You are safe here,” they spoke again. Each time they spoke, the fog seemed to lift  bit by bit, and Sakura decided to try and keep walking forward.

“Where am I?” Sakura asked, almost shocked when she heard her own voice. It had felt like it had been days since she heard it.

“Safe,” they responded easily.

“Who are you?”

“Many things.”

Sakura frowned, unsure of what to make of this... voice. They were so cryptid, but then again, she had grown used to that. It seemed to be a staple in this world.

“You are lost.” It was not a question. Sakura nodded.

“I’ve been wandering here for a while, I think.”

“You are lost, but not here.”

“I--” She paused, opening and closing her mouth a few times. She wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Do you remember?” 

Wait. Those words—she recognized them. She shook her head, closing her eyes and searching through her memories. She had heard them before, sometimes recent. But where? From who? It was on the tip of her tongue.

Oh! The book.

“What am I supposed to remember?” She asked, voice hitching a bit too much for her liking. Talking to—whoever, or whatever it was, made her emotions feel like they were going haywire. She felt like she couldn’t hold back anything, as if her whole soul was being monitored. It made her emotions feel raw and wild.

“It is not for me to say, but you must.”

Sakura shook her head, tears pricking the edges of her eyes. She didn’t know why. “I don’t understand.”

“That is okay, child.” The voice soothed her, in a weird way. The fog had almost cleared up, the  environment looking like when she had first awoken.

“I sense that you will be facing a dire threat.” 

Sakura swallowed hard but said nothing.  _ The demon. _

“Sakura.”

“Yes?” She croaked in reply, staring up towards the sky. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt—if she looked there, she felt like she was facing the voice.

“Those you may see as enemies, may not be. Hold your dreams close, and trust. Trust, Sakura. Remember, and trust.”

The ground that had remained solid for the whole experience cracked beneath her, but Sakura couldn’t tear her eyes from the stars. Enemies? Dreams? Trust? Remember? What were they talking about?  _ What was she supposed to remember?  _ The floor beneath her gave, and Sakura plummeted into the water within a second, swallowed up by its warmth.

She awoke the second her head had dipped below the line, sucking in a deep breath as if she was prepping herself to drown. She was on the futon, dry, alive,  Tenten and Ino chatting by her. She was okay. Sakura pushed herself up, turning to face her friends.

“Hey, you’re awake! Great timing,” Ino chirped, gesturing to food that had been placed by the wall. “Eat up, we’re going to be leaving soon.”

Sakura nodded numbly, crawling over to eat whatever the Nara had gifted her. She felt numb, weird. It felt like she was trying to get accustomed to her body again. And the dream. Enemies. Right, but what did that mean? She ate quietly, listening to Ino and  Tenten talk about their plans for the night. The Nara managed to track down some spiritual weapons, which they presented to the girls. While they were going to try and wait a few days,  Tenten was healed and irking for a fight. With the weapons, they should hopefully be able to deal some damage, or better yet, kill it for good.

Enemies.

She couldn’t stop thinking about it, running it back over and over in her head. She was analytical to a thought, always diving into things and obsessing over them until she was satisfied with an answer. She had yet to find a challenge that she couldn’t eventually unravel, but the more she thought of it now, the more confused she became. An unstoppable force meets an immovable object. It was driving her crazy.

After eating, they made sure to leave their dishes outside, knowing someone was probably waiting to pick them up. After eating, Sakura felt a bit better, but her thoughts were still preoccupied. She could recall her mother rubbing her head when she was younger, laughing as she said, “ _ you think too much! _ ” The memory stung. She blinked a few times, trying to settle the knot that had twisted in her gut. That’s right. She was supposed to remember something. But what?

“Sakura?” Ino asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. She shook her head, turning to smile at her friend.

“Sorry, I think I’m just a little out of it still from the nap.”

Ino didn’t look too sure, staring deep into her eyes. “Alright, well... if you’re not feeling well, just let us know, okay? We can always go tomorrow if you need--”

Sakura waved her hand, trying to make her smile seem more sincere. “No, it’s okay.  I’d be more anxious if we decided to wait.”

Tenten came up next to Ino, lighting hitting her shoulder. “She says she’s fine, so let's leave it at that. We’re going to head outside and prep, join us whenever you’re ready, okay?” Sakura nodded, watching as  Tenten led Ino out of the house. When they were gone, she let out a sigh.

She wanted to be useful to them tonight, but she didn’t know-how. She didn’t want to risk Tenten, Ino, or anyone getting hurt. Sakura stood, heading over to her satchel that held her field equipment and the book. Right, the book. She crouched down, pulling it from its spot, and staring at the cover. At the moment, it looked like any ordinary one. Simple, bland. Unassuming.

“I--” she started, voice barely a whisper. What did she even want to say? Was she going crazy, talking to the book? “Will you help me?” It was cold in her hand, no life detected. The book didn’t flair to life at her words, didn’t give her anything at all. It was, after all, just a book.

She  _ was _ going crazy.

“I-- I want to remember,” she told it, hands shaking. To compensate, she gripped the book tighter. “But I don’t know what to remember. Help me...  _ please. _ ” She was desperate, and it reflected in her voice. No response. Sakura tucked the book into the satchel, standing and heading out to meet Ino and Tenten. Whether the book responded to her or not—she hoped, at the very least, that it had heard her.

The trio took to the forest not long after Sakura had joined them. They stayed close, just like last time, but more on edge. They were ready for anything. As before, the forest was dark and cold, with bits of moonlight breaking through the canopy of leaves above them. It gave them some light, albeit distorted, but was enough for at least Ino and  Tenten . Sakura stared more at the ground to watch her own footing, although found herself wanting to look up at the sky. They were quiet the whole time, no one finding the need to talk. They were on a mission. They were here to hunt and kill. 

A rustling drew their attention, and the three came to an immediate halt. They had only been walking for maybe twenty minutes, but they were fast and already deep into the forest.  Tenten swung a blade in her hand, narrowing her eyes in the direction the sound came from. Sakura’s heart pounded in her chest, so loud she thought that the girls would’ve heard it. Ino gripped Sakura’s hand with her own, squeezing it reassuringly. 

A small fawn emerged from the shadows, moving hesitantly toward them. The three visibly relaxed, thankful it was nothing dangerous. The fawn moved slowly, anxiously, but approached them nonetheless. Sakura narrowed her eyes, thinking. Did she recognize it? Maybe sensing her thoughts, it looked up at her, eyes wide.  _ Remember _ , she told herself.  _ Remember _ . 

She could see a field illuminated by moonlight, the edges surrounding it dark and hidden by the trees. Something was missing from the scene. She could just tell—but what? She wracked her brain, closing her eyes as she shifted through memories. She can remember her feelings; uncomfortably, sad, eerie. It’s out of place, but why? Sakura appears on the field, moving like a ghost as she walks about. She looks down and sees something, but her brain won’t comply with the image. She’s watching herself from a distance, her apparition kneeling down and touching something. A corpse. It’s cold but soft. Small. A fawn!

Sakura is rooted back in reality, crouching down to be more at the level of their companion; she outstretches her hand, and it gingerly walks up to her. It’s the fawn from the other night, she’s certain of it. “I recognize you,” she whispers. “I remember you.”

Ino and  Tenten glance at each other, and Sakura takes the intuitive to fill in the blanks. “I can’t explain, but... I know this is the fawn from the other night. In the field. I don’t know how it’s alive, but I just... do?” 

She can feel their gazes on her, burning, but not in a bad way. “Sakura--” Ino starts, talking slow. “Do you know what that means?”

Sakura turns to look at Ino, who is now looking somewhere else.  Tenten presses her hand on her shoulder, reassuring her. “We believe you. You sure are something else, Sakura.”  Tenten gives her a squeeze, and Sakura lets out a breath she didn’t know it was holding.

“We have to continue on,”  Tenten tells them, and Sakura gets to her feet, nodding. They continue walking, the fawn staying close to the group, but making sure to keep a healthy distance. In a weird way, it’s comforting. It feels like they have an escort through the winding forest.

Not before long, they come across a familiar field. They recognize it instantly, and  Tenten stiffens. It’s just like Sakura remembers, save for the lack of corpses. 

“Where...?” Ino questions next to her, being the first to break the silence. The fawn passed the three of them, moving cautiously inside. 

They also knew what this meant: they were nearing the sight of their battle. Unlike the last time they were in the field, the air wasn’t stiff and heavy. To Sakura, it appeared like any ordinary place, and if she closed her eyes, she felt like she wasn’t anywhere dangerous. The group followed the fawn wordlessly, glancing around. They felt as if at any second, the corpses would reappear, or maybe even the demon. Nothing stirred or move, except the trees which rustled lightly with the wind.

“Stay sharp,”  Tenten told them, blade drawn and readied.

The fawn was next to Sakura as they studied the field, walking slowly, senses on high alert. She glanced down at it, extending her hand just a bit. It nuzzled against her warmly, putting her thoughts at ease for a moment. She tried to remind herself that these deer were different and that she definitely shouldn’t get attached.  Tenten and Ino had walked past her, nearing the edge of the forest. The fawn pressed against her hand again, but harder, nudging her for attention. She met its gaze, tilting her head. Was it  trying to tell her something?

It turned abruptly, heading towards the right side of the field, different from where they had gone originally. It walked a few feet, paused to look her way, and kept walking.

“Ino,  Tenten ,” Sakura called, drawing the girls' attention. They glanced from her to the fawn, not needing to be told twice. The girls followed the fawn, instilling their faith in its actions. 

They moved through the tree line and onto a part of the forest they had never seen. In a weird way, being out of the clearing made them feel a bit relaxed; perhaps because it brought up bad memories. Ino had pulled out a wooden sword when they left the clearing, leaving behind the usual bow and arrows she used. Tenten had a weapon in each hand, ready to attack if they were ambushed. Sakura stood between them, hands at her side, weaponless. She tried not to think about the dagger she had left with Kakashi, and how she kind of wished she had it now. She felt bare. If they were attacked, what would she do?

As they walked through the forest, Sakura couldn’t shake the feeling in her gut. Being where she’s at now, it was similar to the water, in a sense. She couldn’t tell how long where they were walking, or which way they were being led. It didn’t feel like a straight line, and yet, she couldn’t remember them ever turning or adjusting. Her head was pounding, minor and inconvenient, but it frustrated her. Something was clawing at her from the inside out. Ever since the dream, she felt weird. Awakened? No, she wouldn’t say so. Just different. 

_ “Do you feel it, child?”  _ A voice whispered to her. Sakura glanced around, but Ino and  Tenten look unbothered. So, just her--?

_ “You’re right there, just reach out.” _

There was nothing in front of her except space. She could touch the fawn, maybe, or perhaps a tree? No, she knew; that’s not what the voice meant. 

_ “The forest—isn't it odd?” _

Yes, it was. The forest made her feel out of place, almost out of body; she could feel part of her being pulled backward. 

_ “Remember.” _

She closed her eyes, thinking. Remember. What was she remembering, exactly? Something about a forest?

Oh.

A forest.

She scrunched her nose, feeling something dancing on the edge of her grasp. She  _ does _ remember a forest. It’s unlike this one, not near them currently. There’s a light, warm and inviting, and she’s following it. Her eyes, limbs, and chest are heavy. She’s following the light, following it back home (she thinks). She’s close, so close, but this isn’t what they want her to remember. Remember the forest, the light, all of it; go back, turn around, and remember.

There’s a boy. Blonde, whiskers, friendly, smiling. His kindness almost overwhelms her in the dark, and he offers to guide her back to the temple. His name, he never told her his name (but she never gave hers, either). She can see his mouth moving. He’s talking to her—saying what?

She remembers. They will meet again. 

It’s like scratching an itch, and it feels good. Still, she’s missing something. There is something else that she can’t quite get, something still bothering her. She doesn’t feel satisfied.

She stops because she feels  Tenten and Ino stop, and she refocuses her gaze ahead of her. The fawn has stopped, staring ahead (it looked scared-- like it can’t take another step). The moon that was above them is hidden, and they’re in almost complete darkness (she hadn't even noticed). 

“It’s here,” Ino says, stepping past the fawn.  Tenten is not far behind her, and they sneak around the trees together.

Sakura stays behind, looking down at the fawn. She crouches by it, running a gentle hand over its fur. “Thank you,” she whispers. “We will get rid of this monster, I promise.” The fawn nuzzles its’ face under her chin one last time before turning and leaving back where it came.

The sound of battle erupts in her ears, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Déjà vu. She takes off, bouncing between trees and over protruding roots, following the sounds of weapons and yelling. Her heart pounds in her chest, memories flashing to the last time this happened. Fuck, will she be too late, just like  the last time?

She squints, making out a small hut. _ This deep in the forest?  _ Tenten is the first one she sees, and Sakura lets out a sigh of relief. She’s fine. In fact, she’s swinging her blade like an extension of her arm, moving with the utmost grace. There’s a shadowy figure around her, and while his essence seems to seep into the space around them, it appears more like a man. She watches from away, entranced by the scene ahead of her.

The blade  Tenten has glows in the darkness, words she didn't recognize etched into the blade (the enchanted weapons?). The demon tries to overwhelm her by space alone, but  Tenten drives him back by spinning the blade around her. It makes a sound akin to hissing, granting her some space. Ino is behind him—also uninjured—and goes to slam her own weapon into the darkest part of his mass. The creature glitches for a moment, retreating away from the two warriors.

It appears by the house, no wounds apparent, its form shifting.  Tenten throws a kunai straight at it, and it doesn’t bother dodging, letting it pass through its body without resistance. She throws two others, one to the far left, and one behind her. Sakura blinks, and  Tenten is behind the shadows, swinging her blade straight up and over its back. It let out a shriek, inhuman and otherworldly, before glitching and reemerging far from her—right where her other kunai had been tossed. In another instant,  Tenten was there, swinging low and landing a direct hit to the apparent legs. For a third time, it glitched, reappearing behind Ino (and, coincidentally, by the third kunai).  Tenten was there, bring her sword down on its neck, while Ino slammed her staff into its stomach.

Its cry echoed out into the forest, each slash leaving a burning mark that snaked its skin; however, the light shifted from bright white to a deep purple. It cracked around its body slowly, but when  Tenten went to go for the final blow, it lifted its arm to reveal shadow that had molded itself into a large scythe. She narrowly dodged, jumping backward. Ino was next, but she managed to duck and roll a  feet few before the swing collided with her. 

Given the space it needed, the scythe broke off from its back, acting as an additional arm that moved freely. The shadow, as the fight went on, seemed to take on a more human form (if a human had turned into a weird mass of shadows). The appearance of the scythe made  Tenten and Ino keep their distance, even as it lunged for them. They were agile, at least, and able to dodge its massive swing; in its wake, it left a trail of black and sliced the trees that had been just a few feet behind them. They were suddenly on the defensive, both having to jump, move, and dodge constantly. Sakura bit her lip, trying to figure out a way for her to help. She couldn’t just stand back and watch!

“Inside,” a familiar voice cooed. The book was warm against her side, and Sakura quickly retrieved it from the satchel. She glanced from her position to the hut, doing silent calculations in her head. Could she make it? The fastest way would be if she went straight ahead, but that would force her to cross the battle right ahead of her. No, it wouldn’t work. Meanwhile, Ino had managed to get behind it, and she took the chance to whip her staff against its back. It cried out, its attention turned from  Tenten , who quickly leapt forward, slicing its neck.

It sputtered for a moment, swinging its blade in a complete 360, forcing both girls back. No matter how much they cut it, or how much damage it took, it didn’t seem to falter.  Tenten gritted her teeth, traveling to her kunai that had landed closer to the house. They could only fight this thing for so long before they would, inevitably, lose strength. So what could they do?

Sakura tried her best to creep along the edge, moving fast but quietly, hoping she could sneak into the hut if she went around the back. She prayed that the girls would be able to keep the demon occupied while she investigated the inside, putting her trust in the book’s words.

Trust. Enemies. Memories. 

The dream seemed distant now, but the words were clearer  than ever. She could do this. She just had to trust—to rely on someone she originally saw as an enemy. The book was warm, it was listening, watching. She had to trust it.

Sakura reached the backside of the house, taking a deep breath to steady herself. The three were still locked in battle, she could hear it, and now was her chance. She started slow, crouching as she tried to sneak her way to the front. Before she was able to actually enter, the shadow was upon her, a demonic claw ( _ when did that happen? _ ) reaching for her. Ino yelled something, throwing the staff with deadly precision, piercing the body before it was able to actually grab her. The staff shined brightly, similar to the last time in the field, and didn’t budge as the demon teetered back. It wailed, shaking itself in an effort to dislodge it. It was now or never, and Sakura pushed herself forward into the hut.

She wasn’t sure what she was expecting inside. It was simple, no decoration, and clearly run down. That being said, there were a few candles that were lit, spread out down the hallway. She tiptoed inside, fingers tingling and eyes wide. What exactly was she looking for here? It didn’t take her very long to travel the whole hut, which consisted of just one bedroom and a small living area, connected by a single hallway. 

“ _ Deeper, _ ” the book told her. “ _ Hurry, unless you seek death. _ ”

She went back to the living room first, throwing around the old cushions and furniture that had long decayed. Nothing. She stepped back into the hallway, turning to head towards the bedroom. When she stood in front of the door, she felt her gut begin to knot. She had just been in the room a minute earlier, but now... it was different. She outstretched a hand, moving it slowly inside. As her hand crossed the threshold into the room, it felt as if she was forcing her hand into something. She grimaced, but pushed on, letting her whole arm enter, then her leg, before giving one last push and forcing herself in completely.

The bedroom looked different. Nicer, well kept; notably, there was a light that was coming in from the windows. The cobwebs that had been there, all the dust and years of damage-- it was all gone. Sakura blinked slowly, her eyes adjusting to the light.

“Come out!” A voice called, making her jump. She whirled around, her heart thundering in her chest, but couldn’t move. A man sighed, drawing her eyes back into the room. He looked like a Nara, she noticed immediately. Black hair, dark eyes; he was almost a spitting image of every Nara she had seen up to this point. 

“Come out, or else  _ we’re _ coming in!” The voice yelled again. The man buried his face in his hands, shoulders shaking. Crying, maybe?

“What am I looking at?” She mumbled. The man didn’t seem to notice, nor even hear her.

“ _ Time is fickle for mortals, _ ” the book hummed. “ _ For some, time doesn’t move at all. _ ”

“The past?” Sakura guessed.

She watched as the crying man finally stood, wiping his tears with the back of his wrists. “I didn’t do it,” he cried, his voice hitching. 

“What didn’t you do?” She asked, despite knowing he couldn’t hear her. 

“ _ Touch him, _ ” the book instructed. She looked doubtful, but complied, walking over to him and gently touching his shoulder.

It felt like electricity had shot through every vein in her body, but she didn’t budge. Pictures—no, memories—flashed before her. It was the man, playing happily with a miniature version of him. They looked happy, with him lifting her above his head and spinning her. Her squeals of glee made Sakura smile, watching the whole scene from afar. 

Time skipped again, and this time it was him sitting next to a woman clearly giving birth. He whispered into her hair, gave her all the encouragement she needed. She watched as a baby was lifted from between her legs, and how his eyes lit up. Then, to her horror, she watched as the mother fell limp. He was ushered away quickly.

They were in a house, similar to the one the girls were staying in. The girl was having her hair braided by the dad, sitting on a chair and kicking her legs back and forth. The house was decorated, ribbons lining the walls, and treats she had never seen before sitting on a table. A birthday, maybe?

A flicker, followed by darkness. 

The next scene she could hear before she saw; crying, screaming, the sound of desperate pleas. Blood was splattered on the trees, even on the shrubbery nearby, but mostly it was pooled around the body of a little girl. She was alone, lifeless. A man, not someone she recognized, played with her braids idly. Sakura felt her stomach flip. He blinked slowly, lifting his gaze to meet her own—could he... could he see her? He made his way over to her, slow and unassuming, smiling wistfully. She could feel the panic setting in ( _ fuckfuckfuckfuck _ _ , he could see her, fuck, she was dead _ ), but as he outstretched a bloody hand, darkness washed over her.

She was with the dad again, no sign of the red-haired male. He was weeping over his daughter's corpse, now cleaned and prepped in a casket, gripping her hand tightly. Sakura could feel tears threatening to call, and she blinked fast to keep them inside.

After the final blink, she found herself in a crowded dining hall. “He killed her,” a man said matter-of-factly. “I saw it.” Whispers erupted in the room, many sounding shocked. She narrowed her eyes, scanning to see who was talking. 

He smiled at her, the same smile she saw in the forest. The red-haired man was sitting at the end of a long table, sitting before the council; he looked right at her, tilting his head at her. She swallowed hard. The book thrummed by her, silently telling her she wasn’t alone.

“Do you have any proof?” A voice asked. 

“I saw it with my own eyes. Why would I lie to you?” 

More whispers, more uncertainty.

“Besides, why else would he flee, if not because of guilt?”

She shook her head vigorously. “Liar,” she said, voice shaking. “Liar!” The man made a quiet  _ oh _ sound, tapping his hands on his desk.

They were back to the present (so to speak), and Sakura released the man’s shoulder as she staggered back. She gripped her chest, willing her heart to stop beating so hard. It felt like she was having a panic attack. The man before her shuddered, turning towards a closet. He knelt down, digging something out from its contents, pulling it out to reveal a knife. 

“No--” she was pushing herself up, lunging for him, but it was too late. He pressed the blade to his neck, slicing it clean. She cried out, jumping to his side. She flipped him over, pressing her hand against his cheek. She didn’t want him to be alone--

“He’s long since dead,” someone said, and her head snapped to the doorway. The man with red hair smiled at her, leaning against the doorway. “There is no point in giving him any comfort.” 

“Fuck you,” she snarled, tears forming at her eyes. 

“Why does it matter to you, this man?”

“Why did you do it?” She hissed, ignoring the heat that the book was generating, threatening to burn her skin. “You killed his daughter, and then had to  _ blame _ him?”

He shrugged. “I needed a tormented soul. I saw the opportunity, and took it.”

She balled her hands into fists, her skin seething. It was all a setup. Killed his daughter, placed the blame on him; he had set him up to die, to suffer. For what? To manipulate his soul? What was there to gain?

“Why?” She asked again. 

“Power comes with a price,” he said blankly. “I don’t expect someone like  _ you _ to understand.” He took a step into the room, slowly closing the distance. She didn’t move from the man’s side, his corpse still warm, but glared daggers at the approaching male. “But don’t get me wrong, I find you quite intriguing. What are you doing here, on the other side? You’re just a mortal.” He was nearing her, almost within arm’s reach. He was so  slow; it was almost agonizing to watch him approach. “So peculiar...”

“ _ Come to me, _ ” the book hissed urgently. “ _ Use me, do not let him touch you. _ ”

She complied, digging her hand into her satchel and pulling the book out in a swift motion. The man’s eyes went wide, stopping in his tracks. He seemed to recognize the book—and she wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be a good thing or not, but that was a problem for later. 

The book was almost translucent, save for the flames that licked its edges. She had never seen it take on such an appearance, and if she wasn’t about to purify this demon ahead of, she’d probably say it was quite beautiful. The flames shifted from red, orange, to blue, but didn’t leave any marks on her skin. The man staggered back, hissing something under his breath. She liked it this way, liked knowing that she has stripped him of his confidence. 

Still, she had a job to do. Her friends were busy fighting, putting themselves on the line for her, doing whatever they could to protect her right now. She thought of the spirit outside, being forced to fight, having died alone and scared. The book responded to her touch, the flames burning higher and higher. She went for the knife curled in the man's hand, and when she picked it up, the effect from the book transferred to it. Sakura lunged for the man, but he was too fast, stepping through the doorway.

As soon as he did, the illusion was shattered, and she was back in the darkness. The knife, however, remained torched. Sakura stood, tucking the book back into her bag as she left the room. She knew what she had to do, how to put an end to this. Even if she couldn’t kill the man—she could at least set this spirit free.

The land outside was a wreck. Trees had been cut clean, smashed into others, while some laid on the ground. The earth had been upturned in several places; splashes of blood speckled about.  Tenten was panting, knuckles white as she gripped her blade. Her leg was bleeding, but she didn’t falter. Ino was gripping a tanto in her left hand, her arm dangling by her side; she was kneeling, taking deep breaths as she tried to steady herself. The demon had mutated beyond belief, no longer any semblance of a human. While she could see cracks on him, they were slowly beginning to close. He had red eyes that shined in the darkness, fueled by rage.

Sakura moved fast: there was no time to waste. She sprinted out of the hut, knife in hand. The spirit had turned to face her, but it was too late; she sunk the knife into its core, causing an eruption that sent her careening back. Her back slammed against the hut, knocking the wind out of her, but at least she was still  conscious . 

Similar to the time she had forced the book’s raw essence into it, a burning light shot through it. The creature let out a roar, pained and desperate (she recognized it, images of his daughter passing through her head). It was faster than before, and consumed all of his body in an instant. Within a heartbeat, the flames had smothered him, burning his very soul into nothingness. The knife dropped to the ground, returned to its original state.

She let herself cry. All of her emotions that she had bottled up for the past day came flowing through her freely, and she was unable to hold them back anymore (not that she even wanted to; she deserved to cry this one out). Her shoulders shook as she sobbed, doubling over as her pitiful cries escaped her.

It was over. They could be free—all of them. No one had to suffer here anymore tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I wonder who that red-haired guy could be :) haha.
> 
> anyways, thanks for reading. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be, but we shall see! (tbh it might be a bit boring, so i might put it off for a bit)


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